USA > Iowa > Dallas County > The History of Dallas County, Iowa, containing a history of the county, its cities, towns, &c. > Part 43
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Gen. Lewis Cass, an American statesman and eminent United States sen- ator from Michigan in 1844, on account of his able opposition to the "Wil- mot Proviso," * was nominated as the Democratic candidate for the presi- dency in 1848.
And Martin Van Buren, the eighth President of the United States was the "Free-soil " candidate for the presidency at the same election.
Quite a schism had been caused in the Democratic party about that time over " the question of the permission of slavery in the newly-acquired terri- tory," and a considerable faction branched off under the name of "Free- soilers " forming a new party, and nominating their own candidate above mentioned.
This, of course, very materially weakened the old party, and helped secure the victory for the Whigs. Besides, in nominating Gen. Taylor, with his great popularity as the "hero of the battle of Buena Vista," for which he had just received the gold medal and thanks of Congress, the Whig party had " struck the key-note of success," and the result was Taylor received 163 electoral votes to 137 received by Cass; and a popular vote of 1,360,752 against 1,219,962 for Cass, and 291,342 for Van Buren.
As one has truthfully said regarding this presidential race, " Old ' Rough and Ready,' so recently from the victorious battle-field of Buena Vista, was a power in the land, and, we dare say, the ' Great Michigander,' with all his knowledge of men, with all his laurels of field and forum, of statesmanship and diplomacy, could hardly have expected to be successful, as against Gen. Taylor, before the American people."
But the facts in the case are, eminent statesmanship has not appeared to
* David Wilmot, a Democratic congressman, on August 8th, 1846, offered an amendment to a bill appropriating $2,000,000 for the purchase of Mexican territory, which amendment became celebrated under the name of "The 'Wilmot Proviso."
In substance it required : "That as an express and fundamental condition to the acquisition of any territory from the republic of Mexico by the United States * * * neither slavery nor involuntary servitude
, shall ever exist in any part of the said territory."
This proviso was adopted by the House, but rejected by the Senate, and became the starting-point for the "' Free-soil" movement of 1848.
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HISTORY OF DALLAS COUNTY.
be the essential qualification in a public man for gaining the nomination, or for carrying the popular vote for the presidential office, and there has not been any radical change for the better visible in that respect during our entire career, even until the present day. The natural result is, as shown by a glance at the past political record, comparatively few of our chief ex- ecutives have been especially noted for what is understood as eminent states- manship.
Gen. Taylor received the nomination on that occasion over at least two men in his own party who stood in the foremost ranks of American states- manship, Henry Clay and Daniel Webster, and by a handsome majority he carried this election over Gen. Cass, another of our first statesmen and most powerful orators, either of whom, doubtless, was greatly his superior as an orator or a statesman, and as such, by their superior powers and extended knowledge and experience, could sway the masses at their will on almost any other important question; but could not, for themselves, command the pop- ular vote, or control the political scheming with sufficient success to gain the presidential chair.
Too often it is the case that wide notoriety over some sudden success, and the great burst of public applause that is made to follow it, through the agency of influential friends, rather than true popularity from real merit and emi- nent qualifications for the position, are made the principal means of decid- ing who shall fill many of our high offices of trust, and thus bring danger and disaster upon our government. A man may be deservedly popular and eminently fitted for one important position, and yet be very unfit for an- other one of an entirely different character to which the popular voice may call him; and yet such great mistakes as these are often made of placing the wrong man in the wrong place, thus dwarfing his powers and injuring his usefulness to the detriment of the nation. This great political evil can only be remedied, and the disaster resulting from it averted, by carefully and accurately measuring each candidate by the special qualification and fitness he possesses for filling the particular position, and thus choose the "right man for the right place."
In Dallas county's first experience in presidential elections, she had the privilege and honor of casting her vote for eminent and worthy men, which made the occasion one of interest and importance to all.
In view of the troubles experienced by the perpetration of fraud at the preceding August election, and in order to effectually prevent the like from occurring again at this time, the board of county commissioners decided to have only one voting precinct for the entire county, in place of three, as at the previous election. To this end, at one of their sessions, they passed the following order:
Ordered, That hereafter the only place of voting in Dallas county shall be Penoach, until otherwise changed, and that due notice be given as required by law.
Accordingly the election was held at the house of J. C. Corbell, in Pen- oach. There were in all fifty-seven votes cast at this time and the follow- ing list shows the names of all the voters in the order in which each vote was cast:
W. W. Miller, John Sullivan, Sr., John Sullivan, Jr., Harvey Adams, John Bivens, L. D. Burnes, S. K. Scovell, Isaac Tribby, William D. Boone, Thomas Butler, Samuel Miller, John Miller, William Ellis, Eli Smithson,
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HISTORY OF DALLAS COUNTY.
John Bennett, Lewis Stump, Shubal Haworth, Isaac Ellis, David Daily, Z. Babcock, Uriah Stotts, James Wright, Milton Randolf, Buel Lathrop, George Haworth, "Jeff" Jones, James Drummond, Jonathan Sullivan, James A. Butler, George P. Garroutte, Samuel P. Garroutte, James Brooks, Daniel James, Anderson Kelly, Daniel Stump, "Chris " Fowler, Horatio Morrison, Ed. J. Fowler, Archibald Crowl, Eli Miller, Levi Wright, John M. Davis, Ira Sherman, J. C. Corbell, Chelsea Shelton, Nathan Moore, Barney Morrison, Tristram Davis, Howell Blacketer, Isaac Magart, Judah Leaming, Sr., O. D. Smalley, Judah Leaming, Jr., Samuel Todd, F. C. Case, Elisha Leaming, G. H. Reynolds-57 votes.
There were but few legal voters in the county who failed to cast their ballots at this election. A number had come in since the previous August election who were entitled to a vote in the county at this time, but some of these living so remote from the polls, and being so new and unsettled in the county, failed to make their appearance at the polls on election day.
Aside from these few cases a full vote was cast, and a general good feel- ing prevailed, though each party was intent on its own especial interest, and worked faithfully to gain the victory.
The Whig electors for General Z. Taylor, presidential candidate, were:
Fitz Henry Warren, Jesse Brown, William H. Wallace,
These received 34 votes in this county.
Stephen B. Shelleday.
The Democratic electors for General Lewis Cass, presidential candidate were:
Augustus C. Dodge, } Joseph Williams, John S. Sellman, Lincoln Clark,
These received 22 votes in this county.
The Free-soil electors for Mertin Van Buren, presidential candidate, were:
George McDonald, ) William Ince, Ira Sherman, George Thomas.
These received 1 vote in this county.
There were no regular Van Buren tickets here, and in the absence of any Ira Sherman receives the credit of [furnishing, impromptu, Free-soil tickets bearing the above names, among which his own appears. And he also is accredited with casting the only ballot in the county for the Free- soil electors.
THE FIRST WATER MILL.
As previously mentioned, the first water mill for grinding grain, in the county limits, was built by Buel Lathorp, in the year 1848. After selling his property in Penoach to the county for a court-house, Mr. Lathrop took a claim on Hickory Creek, a little south of Matt. Freeman's farm. He built a dam, cut a mill race across the bend of the creek, constructed a breast-wheel and so placed it as to utilize the power of the water fall, erected a log mill house, purchased Samuel Miller's old horse-power " stump mill," and thus fitted up an improved pioneer mill on his new site
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HISTORY OF DALLAS COUNTY.
for the accommodation of the public on quite an extensive scale, capable of grinding at least one and one-half bushels of corn per hour.
After a short time, however, he sold this mill to "Chris." Fowler, who ran it for a while, or rather let it run itself as a general thing, after filling the hopper, until it became empty again, without making any special effort to keep it in repairs, or improve its condition, or increase its capacity for grinding. With this lax treatment the mill soon ground itself out until it was almost without grist or patrons, so that the miller, finding it unprofit- able business, and becoming so enamored with the attractions of Mormon- ism, soon disposed of his mill property and left the country. As Mr. Burnes, one of his old patrons, says of him:
"Chris. was a disciple, theologically, of Joe Smith, Jr., and this mill required so little of his attention after the hopper had been well filled, that 'Chris.' would take advantage of his leisure hours (and they were many) to impress his patrons with a sense of the beauty and self-abnega- tion of Mormonism, enlarged and improved upon by Bro. Young.
" Poor 'Chris.' became environed by the hobgoblins on his return home one night from an effort at Penoach, after which he became trist, and soon after left the county, in fear of a second seance of infernals over his mis- sionary labors in Penoach."
THE OWENS MILL.
Sometime this same summer of 1848 another water-power grist and saw- mill was put up by "Yankee " Smith and his son-in-law, Henry Owens, near the mouth of Cottonwood creek, in what is now Union township, on section 11.
This was commonly known as "Owens'. Mill," and is very distinctly remembered by most of the early settlers yet surviving, on account of the general good time enjoyed on the occasion of its being raised and chris- tened in pioneer style.
Though the mill itself endured but for a short season until it was entirely swept away by the flood, still the building of it at that early day remains green in the memory of many, even now.
Judge L. D. Burnes, who was present and performed a very important part in the building of this mill, gives the following interesting account of the raising and what soon followed:
" Henry Owens put up a water-mill on South Raccoon river, near the mouth of Cottonwood, in the summer of 1848. Mr. Harvey Adams, George P. Garroutte and Squire Babb were invited, as were nearly every- body else, to help raise the house and frame the mill.
" The house was built of hewed logs, and was a double, two-story one. In fact, it was as fine a hewed-log house as we had ever seen. Henry Owens was a gentleman of the old school, and had, of course, laid in a very large supply of 'liquid fire' for this occasion. 'Fun and frolic' abounded. The colonel's table fairly groaned under the rich supplies he had provided for the hungry. Just at nightfall the work was done.
"Many could not make home that night, and, of course, stayed with the chivalrous colonel, and we were treated like princes of the blood.
" We, Squire Babb, George P. Garroutte, Harvey Adams and Eli Miller determined to return home that night. There was not a road leading homeward, nor even a pathway going to Penoach. We chose Eli Miller,
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HISTORY OF DALLAS COUNTY.
upon his own recommendation, as guide and cicerone, and started out for home by the way of Penoach. The night was bright and clear, the moon was in its new, first quarter, the dew fell rapidly and abundantly.
"We had not proceeded far when Squire Babb fell from his horse, from the effects of Colonel Owens' 'liquid fire.' We and George P. Garroutte got off our horses and replaced the Squire on his horse and steadied him a moment, but as soon as we had remounted and started, off came the Squire sprawling on the ground. We were soon off again to replace him, but we found the Squire limber and deaf to all our appeals to go on.
"George P. Garroutte finally got out of patience and bounced him, gathered the Squire by the throat and plied his fists vigorously to the per- son of the inebriate Squire.
"Every blow was accompanied by such a gush of virulent invective that the little stars above seemed to hide their faces in very shame.
".The Squire finally came to, and replied to George's chastisement thus: Mr. Garroutte, I can whip you the best day you ever saw; but, sir, I scorn to do such a thing. You are my neighbor, Mr. Garroutte, and, sir, I would as soon be found fighting my mother as my neighbor, sir!'
"George replied, vigorously: 'Get up, you d-d old whig, or I will kill you and throw your old carcass into the creek to feed the minnows.'
" 'Mr. Garroutte,' replied the Squire, ' you are a villain, sir, but you are my neighbor, Mr. Garroutte, and I would just as soon, sir, be found fight- ing Mrs. Babb as to be found fighting my neighbor, Mr. Garroutte, hic'-
"George rejoined at the very top of his voice: 'The h-Il you say! Get up, you old sheep thief, or I will bait my wolf-trap with your old rotten carcass.'
" By this time the Squire was on his feet, ready for fight.
" George got him by one leg and we by the other, and lifted him astride his horse and started on, we holding one leg and George holding the other, Eli Miller leading the way.
" After winding over the prairies for some time we came to the house of our old friend, Abner Mckean, on Panther creek, where we unloaded the Squire, and left Harvey Adams with him to keep him quiet.
" We went on, struck the ford on the slough above the site of the Adel Mill, and reached Horatio Morrison's late in the night. Horatio was living on and owned the claim on the river at the east side of the island. There we staid all night. On our arrival at Morrison's Horatio got up, struck a light, asked us if we would have supper. After we had replied in the neg- ative he got down his old red violin, and we were welcomed with the Arkansaw Traveler,' ' Mony Musk,' ' Fisher's Hornpipe,' and 'Jenny, get your hoe-cake done.'"
Thus the curtain fell on the jovial scene of important mill-raising in Dallas county.
How Squire Babb fared with his generous host during the rest of the night, we have not been able to ascertain; but undoubtedly he felt the un- pleasant effects of Dr. George P. Garroutte's radical remedy for a serious and sullen attack of mill-raising inebriety for several days, and was exceed- ingly fortunate if Mrs. Babb did not give him even a much more severe trouncing for affirming that he would just as soon "fight her as his neigh- bor."
It is little wonder that this mill could not long endure the pressure of circumstances.
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HISTORY OF DALLAS COUNTY.
As a mighty flood of the most dangerous liquid attended its construction, it was quite in keeping that another flood should also be the cause of its destruction.
THE PIONEER MIMIC.
Mill-raisings, house-warmings, corn-huskings, and all such public gather- ings and working-bees would be stale and unattractive without some one to take the lead as the genuine fun producer. After all, the public enjoyment of the multitude, to a very great extent, is dependent on a few persons who are especially adapted to take the lead in joking and mimicry ; and on this occasion, of the Owens mill-raising, it appears that such comic characters were sufficiently numerous to secure a jolly time for all.
One of those who most materially enhanced the interest and enjoyment of this occasion was "Deaf Jim" Wright, the star mimic of the entire settlement, who was present in highest glee, and in the best of trim for the ludicrous imitation and ridicule of any appropriate characters whom he might undertake to personify.
A graphic description of the role "Deaf Jim" there played, and other items regarding the proprietors of said mill, and their career here, is given by Mr. Greene, in the Dallas County News, from which we quote as fol- lows:
"' Deaf Jim' was a model citizen, and though one principal avenue be- tween the outer world and his brain was quite closed, still his perceptions, intellectual and moral, were exceptionably quick and his judgment good. His powers of mimicry and imitation were a constant surprise, and would have made the fortune of a stage actor. Scarce a man of his acquaintance but he could so accurately personate that the subject would be readily recog- nized. Steve Scovell, with his head thrown back, his lips pursed up, pro- truded, and puffing the vacant air-one hand complacently stroking his beard, the other his capacious stomach. Judge Burns-so quietly rolling and caressing his hands, while 'smiling a smile so child-like and bland.' And the gallant young swell-mincing and prancing by the side of his girl, and indignantly throwing away the soiled and offensive pocket handker- chief (after wiping his mouth with it), that some envious scamp had stealth- ily stuck into his pocket, and many more-all were 'painted lively as the deed was done.' But his masterpiece was 'Yankee Smith.'
" When, in 1847 and 1848, Smith and Owens were building their saw and grist mills on South 'Coon, near the mouth of Cottonwood, nearly all the able-bodied men in the county volunteered many days to forward the much needed work. 'Deaf Jim' was there to lend a helping hand. A hired man, with a cart and oxen belonging to Smith, was hauling earth to build the dam, and dumping it off a bank some 12 feet high. He awkwardly backed cart and oxen off into the river. Smith was a tall, bony, restless, passionate, irrepressible yankee, over 70 years of age. Imagine him trying to 'work off' the effects of such a disaster! Coatless and hatless, his long gray hairs literally on end, his bony arms beating the air in impotent rage. 'Tis said he did full justice to his subject. Deaf Jim was deeply im- pressed-the violent gestures he could give in full; and though he could not understand the full force of the expletives, he seemed aware that they were not wanting, for when reproducing the scene he would utter the most fear- ful howls, but they cannot be transferred to paper. On witnessing this
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HISTORY OF DALLAS COUNTY.
exhibition one could see clearly what Shakspeare means by ' tear passion to tatters-to very rags.'
"The Smith and Owens inills being built upon the sand, when the rains descended, the floods came and swept them wholly away, ruining the pro- prietors, and discouraging our people sadly. Smith went to stay with his son in Missouri, where he died shortly after, of small-pox. After hearing of his decease, 'Deaf Jim' could not be prevailed upon to personate ' Yan- kee Smith.'
" Henry Owens was a gentleman in the best sense of the term. His fair natural abilities were supplemented by considerable culture, and his frank genial manners made him a general favorite. After the destruction of his mills he went to California in quest of gold. He had an interesting family-one son, William, accompanied him to California, and afterward went to Oregon. Mrs. Owens and her two daughters, twelve and fifteen years of age, remained in Dallas, and during the summer of 1850 the girls boarded at W. W. Miller's, and attended a school near by, taught by a young lady hired by Miller.
" After some three years H. Owens returned from California, and ran for member of the Iowa Legislature against Dr. E. Van Fossen. But the young republican party, led by Grimes, was irresistible, and Owens, with nealy all democrats (for the first time in Iowa), had to take back seats."
Judge L. D. Burns, also, in his Centennial History of the county, relates several interesting incidents as occurring during the year 1848, which we herein present, as follows:
A CABIN-RAISING.
" In the year of grace, 1848, the cabin of a new-comer was to be 'raised.' Invitations to help had been given to all the settlers near-and there were not many-and to bring along with them the wife and children, which was the prevailing idea in those days of mobilized homogenousness and peren- nial philanthropy and singleness of heart.
" We had the honor to be included among the favored number to whom the invitation had been extended, and we set out pretty early for the seat of the cabin, and as early as we were we found on our arrival on the ground that a few had preceded us, while others were still coming in, whistling merry bouts of a quaint old roundelay.
" The work of rearing the cabin had cheerfully begun, good humor, fun and facetic abounded.
" The cabin was, in fact, pretty well on the way, when a well dressed stranger suddenly appeared in our midst. He was gentlemanly and collo- quial, and curiosity ran high to know who on earth this comely stranger could possibly be, so that the anxious interrogatory went from lip to lip, ' who is he ?'
" This anxiety, however, was soon allayed by the stranger himself announc- ing his name to be ' Ira Sherman, from York State.' He was looking around for a good sheep range, where he thought of locating himself for all time to come, and would be pleased to know 'if any one present' could point out to him such a place.
" Many localities were soon mentioned, not far away, as being just the very place for wool-growing, and as many persons confidently advised the wool-grower, by all means, to look at them.
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HISTORY OF DALLAS COUNTY.
"Just here our old irrepressible friend, James V. Pierce, who had been hitherto a quiet listener, and for whom the cabin was being raised, inter- posed, and in his inimitable manner put this leading question to the ur- bane wool-grower:
"'Mr. Shorsmans, how many sheops do you prepoas to spread out on thoas big prarees, mistow?' The wool-grower promptly replied, without a ripple of emotion on his placid countenance, 'Well, sir, some ten or twelve thousand.' This cool enuncication quickened the ears of the credu- lous settlers, and very soon they became so deeply interested in the collo- quy between Pierce and the wool-grower that the work on the cabin ceased, and those who were running up the corners came down and, with itching ears, had swept around in concentric circles, inclosing Pierce and the wool-grower in the center. The settlers were astonished and were pretty sure they saw in the blanched, smooth, full face of the wool-grower, ample evidence that 'bull' or 'bear' from Wall street, mayhap a million- aire, was present, who had, in all probability, cloyed and sickened on the veneered and varnished civilities of artificial life on 'Fifth Avenue,' to es- cape which he had come away out West to grow wool, to romp over these interminable prairies, to inhale the rejuvenescent air of youthful, vigorous, and joyous Iowa, in order to renew wasted energies in the counting-rooms, and to grow fat and funny withal.
" All the settlers were anxious indeed to have the amiable wool-grower for a neighbor, or at any rate to have him settle in the neighborhood some- where, with his massive flock of sheep, to answer as a light-house to draw emigration hither. Among those in attendance on this interesting occa- sion was one 'Dutch Henry,' a masculine of Hessian extraction, whose pa- ternal ancester had fought the colonies under General Heister, at the battle of Long Island. He was a lugubrious individual, of an awkward, physical contour, with an ugly yawning scar above his left eye, at right angles with his little terrapin nose-a late arrival, in our quiet little settlement, from the East, by way of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and had located a claim west of the river, near Perry.
" Many wondered why Henry had strayed so far from the cordon of set- tlements, when equally as good a claim could have been had within.
" Henry made rails, dug wells and made himself generally useful to the settlers in many ways, for which he was willing and even anxious to take in turn cows, calves, cattle, hogs, and even the notes of the parties desiring his services, on a long run, if they had nothing better to offer.
"Henry was, at the time of which we are speaking, making his home- when not under an engagement-with Squire Babb, who was by common consent the most distinguished individual in our settlement. The wool- grower seeing Dutch Henry, approached him with a smile and certainly thought he knew him, and in a pleasant, fraternal kind of a way remarked to him, 'It strikes me, sir, that I have seen you before; is not your name Henry Johns?' .
" Henry's legs now grew feeble and aberrant, and he stammered out in a miserable, guttural reply, ' Nix, my name ish not dot, he ish von Dutch Henri, all der time, yaw.'
"' I beg pardon, Mr. Henry,' returned the wool-grower, and Henry re- joined, ' Dot ish gude,' and the matter was dropped.
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