USA > Iowa > Boone County > The history of Boone County, Iowa, containing biographical sketches war records of its volunteers in the late rebellion, general and local statistics, portraits of early settlers and prominent men, history of the Northwest, history of Iowa, map of Boone county etc. > Part 56
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HISTORY OF BOONE COUNTY.
Chief marshal, aids, and police .- The chief marshal shall have charge of the grounds, and command the police corps during the exhibition; and it shall be his duty, with the assistance of his aids, to preserve order throughout; and to make himself familiar with the programme, and exe- cute it without further orders, unless some change therein be made by a special vote of the directors.
Competition will be open to Boone county, except when otherwise pro- vided.
The society has erected a fine agricultural hall, with all the conveniences for the exhibition of articles, and have it so arranged that articles placed on exhibition can be shown to the best advantage.
1. All articles or animals for exhibition must be entered upon the books of the secretary, by noon of the second day, and must be on the grounds by 12, M. of the second day, or they will not be allowed to compete for premiums, unless by special action of the board.
2. Articles which are the result of mechanical or artistic skill, must be entered by the artist, manufacturer, contriver or their agente.
3. Articles which are the product of the soil, must be entered by the producer.
4. Every animal must be entered for competition by the bona fide owner.
5. The following shall be the form of each entry ticket, to be placed on all articles entered for premiums:
Class. No. of Entry. Name of Article.
6. No animal will be allowed to run at large on the grounds. No horse, no animal, or vehicle of any kind, will be allowed on the part of the ground set aside for visitors on foot, except such as are under control of the general superintendent.
7. Every article or animal upon the grounds, shall, during the fair, be under the control of the general superintendent, and whilst every precan- tion will be taken for the safe keeping of the same, the society will, in no case, be responsible for any loss or damage that may occur.
8. No unsound animal will receive a premium where the superior qual- ity of the animal is required.
9. Exhibitors of thorough-bred stock must file their pedigree with the secretary when the entry is inade.
10. Exhibitors, on bringing their animals or articles to the ground, will take them immediately to the superintendent of the class in which they are entered, who will direct where they shall be placed.
11. No animal or article shall be taken from the ground without the consent of the general superintendent.
12. Exhibitors will be expected to obey the marshal promptly in pro- ducing their stock, when instructed to do so, and persons refusing to com- ply may be ruled out from competing. Horses shall be under the charge of their drivers only, and all others will be excluded from the ring during the exhibition.
13. Entries must, in all cases, be made on the secretary's books, and the entry-ticket properly attached, before articles or animal will be entitled to a place within the enclosure. No article or animal can be removed from the grounds until the close of the fair, under penalty of forfeiture of all the premiums that may have been awarded to it, except on a written per- mit of the superintendent of that departinent, and any person removing stock on which a premium has been awarded, previous to the exhibition in
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HISTORY OF BOONE COUNTY.
the ring on Friday, will forfeit all premiums awarded on the stock so re- moved.
14. Gambling, by the use of cards, dice, roulette tables, and all other de- vices of whatsoever nature is absolutely and forever prohibited on the fair grounds, and persons offending against this rule shall be promptly arrested and handed over to the civil authorities, to be dealt with according to law.
15. When there is no competition, or the article is not of sufficient merit to deserve it, the committee may refuse to award the premium.
16. No animal or article can compete for more than one premium, unless as a part of a collection in the same class, speed-ring, or sweepstakes.
17. All persons exhibiting animals or articles are required to place signs or cards over the same, giving the name of the owner of the animal or article, and they shall keep their stalls open from 9 A. M. until 12 o'clock M., and from 1 until 4 o'clock P. M.
During the present year the society has included other territory, and it is now known as the Central Iowa District Fair Association. Extensive preparations are being made for the coming exhibition, which will be held at Boone during the autumn of 1880.
GOLD EXCITEMENT.
No doubt the desire for "gold" has been a main-spring of all progress and exertion in Boone county, from the beginning until the present time, and will so continue unto ages remote. But usually this desire has been made manifest only in the usual avenues of thrift, industry and enterprise.
On two occasions, however, it has passed the bounds of reason, and as- sumed the character of a mania or delusion, which produced nothing but evil effects. The desire for riches is a benefit only when it comes like a gentle and steady rain, sinking into the ground and refreshing the earth; but when it comes like a wild storm, it leaves only wreck and disaster in its path. Such is the moral easily drawn from the experience of Boone county.
The first gold mania here dates back to the fall of 1849, when stories first began to spread of the wondrous richness of the placer mines of California. The excitement grew daily, feeding on the marvelous reports that came from the Eldorado of the West, until at last nothing was talked of but the ad- ·ventures and achievements of the Argonauts of '49.
Instead of dying out, the fever mounted higher and higher. It was too late that season to attempt to cross the plains, but many of the Boone county people began their preparations for starting early in the coming spring. The one great subject of discussion about the firesides of the log cabins of Boone county that winter was the gold of California. At one time nearly every man in the county was unsettled in mind, and seriously considering the project of starting for California. The more hardy and adventurous impatiently awaited the time when they should abandon the little property and comfortable homes already gained by honest thrift, 'and join the wild rush for California as soon as the weather and grass would permit. Even the most thoughtful and sober-minded men found it diffi- cult to resist the infection.
Wonderful sights were seen when this great emigration passed through -sights that may never be again seen in the county, perhaps. Some of the wagons were drawn by cows; other gold-hunters went on foot and hauled
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HISTORY OF BOONE COUNTY.
their worldly goods in hand-carts. The gold-hunters generally had left the moralities of life behind them, and were infested with a spirit of disorder and demoralization. The settlers breathed easier when they had passed.
Early in the spring of 1850 the rush began, one line of the California trail passing directly through this county. It must have been a scene to beggar all description. There was one continuous line of wagons from east to west as far as the eye could reach, moving steadily westward, and, like a cyclone, drawing into its course on the right and left many of those along its pathway. The gold-hunters from Boone county crowded eagerly into the gaps in the wagon-trains, bidding farewell to their nearest and dearest friends, and many of them never to be seen again on earth. Sad- der farewells were never spoken. Many of the gold-hunters left their quiet, peaceful homes only to find in the " Far West " ntter disappointment and death. Very, very few of them ever gained anything, and the great majority lost everything, including even "their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor." The persons who really gained by the gold excite- ment were those who remained on their farms and sold their produce to the gold crazy emigrants. The rush continued until about the first of June, 1850, when the great tide began to abate, although belated gold- hunters kept passing through for some time. But the excitement began to die away, and those citizens who had judgment enough to resist the con- tagion now settled down in quiet to pursne the even tenor of their way.
The scene along this line, through this vicinity, is thus described by one who was an eye-witness:
" It seemed that Bedlam itself had been let loose. A continuous line of wagons stretched away to the west as far as the eye could see. If a wagon was detained by being broken down, or by reason of a sick horse or ox, it was dropped out of line and the gap closed up immediately. If a poor mortal should sicken and die, the corpse was buried hurriedly by the wayside, without coffin or burial service. When night came on, the line of wagons was turned aside, and their proprietors would go into camp. Very soon the sound of revelry would begin around the camp-fires thickly set on every hand, first to bottle and then to cards, to the echo of the most hor- rid caths and imprecations that were ever conceived or uttered since the fall of man. These poor deluded votaries of Mammon scattered that dreadful scourge, small-pox, everywhere that they came in contact with the settlers on the way. Game cards were strewn all along the line of travel. Glass bottles, after being emptied of their nefarious contents down the throats of men, were dashed against wagon wheels, pieces of which were strewn all along the road, as if to mock the madness of the ad- vancing column of these fervent janizaries of the golden calf.
" At the time of the treaty of Gandalope Hidalgo, the population of California did not exceed thirty thousand, while at the time of which we are writing (1850) there were more than one hundred and fifty thousand people who had found their way thither, of which number at least one hundred thousand were gold-hunters from the States. There had been taken from the auriferious beds of California, up to Jannary, 1850, over $40,000,000 in gold.
" The evil effects of this gold mania upon the moral status of the people of the United States is still seen and felt everywhere, and among all classes of society, and no man can see the end. It has popularized the worship of Mammon to an alarming extent throughout the country, and
.
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HISTORY OF BOONE COUNTY.
to this worship may be imputed, to a great extent, the moral declension of to-day."
Years after, this county had another gold excitement, which, happily, was not so serious as the first, and did not produce the same evil effects. But it is an equally good illustration to show how quickly men will lose their sense when they hope to gain wealth more rapidly than by honest work and thrift.
The excitement of the discovery of gold at Pike's Peak, in 1859, drew off a large number of the citizens of the county, many of whom returned poorer than they went, and glad and anxious to get home again from that land of high prices and small profits from mining. We have not been able" . to discover that any of the gold-seekers from the county ever became " bonanza kings."
When the leading men of the nation were bending all their energies to. ward the perfecting of arrangements whereby the one-hundredth anniver- sary of the nation might be creditably celebrated, and hundreds of people all over the western country were looking forward to the great "Centen- nial. " when they should visit the home of their childhood, and, as they expressed it, "take in the Centennial, " there were hundreds of others whose eyes were turned in the other direction.
The Custer expedition, which, by order of the government, had made an examination of the rich hunting grounds of the Sioux Indians returned, and the official report of the expedition confirmed the former rumors with regard to the rich gold deposits of that region. The whole West was im- mediately ablaze with excitement, and although the government had not authorized the opening of the country for immigration, and although the savages were known to be numerous and hostile, yet from every quarter came the cry, " To the Black Hills! "
The leading lines of railway leading across the State were taxed to fur- nish transportation for the thousands who sought to throng the trains, and upon every wagon route leading west and northwest might be seen mule teams, ox teams, and teams of horses with their steps leading toward the Black Hills. From the West, too, came the gold-hunters. Hundreds of men who, in forty-nine and fifty, had crossed the plains to the Pacific in quest of the yellow treasure, now retraced their steps in search of the god which was supposed to be enshrined in the dominions of "Sitting Bull." This ruler of the dusky race did not invite into his dominions these wor- shipers of the golden god, but on the contrary most emphatically objected to this violation of sacred treaties; moreover he gave some very decided exhibitions of his displeasure, and from the belts of warriors soon dangled many a pale-face scalp; yet the multitude surged on, and the watchword was, " To the Black Hills! Sitting Bull or no Sitting Bull." The opening of several richi mines, and the founding of the city of Deadwood was the result. While some made their fortunes, many thousands lost their all, and those who did not loose their lives on the plains returned poor, dis- heartened, and many broken down in health. Boone county furnished its full quota to the Black Hills army, and the Black Hills army furnished to Boone county its full quota of paupers, and thus has equilibrium again been restored.
450
HISTORY OF BOONE COUNTY.
ACCIDENTS AND CRIMES.
Boone connty has been singularly free from crimes of blood, although it has had its full share of other crimes and accidents. The first murder and the only one for many years was the fatal stabbing of a young man of the name of Pea by a man named Jewett. This occurred shortly after the or- ganization of the county, and Jewett was indicted by the first grand jury. Jewett managed to escape without punishment.
In early times, and before there were any settlements in the northeast . part of the county, two men went out there for the purpose of hunting and trapping, the name of one was Holton and the other Merkle. Hol- ton went away from the camp one evening, and during his absence a terrible. storm set in. He lost his way, and before he could find the way back was terrible frozen; so badly had he been affected by the cold that some of his fingers and toes became useless and had to be amputated. Holton was un- able to help himself for some time, and having no money and no relatives was sent to Des Moines, where he was cared for by public charity. After he recovered sufficiently to get around he returned east where he came from. During the month of April, 1867, the Des Moines and other streams in the connty were higher than they were ever known to be. Bridges were washed away, roads rendered impassable, coal mines flooded, much property de- stroyed and several lives lost. The water in the Des Moines rose to such a height as to drive the miners from their houses near the river at Moingona, and compelled them to seek safety on higher ground. There was imminent danger for a number of days that the railroad bridge across the Des Moines at this place would be carried away. On Sunday, April 14th, four men attempted to cross the river in a boat; when about half way across the boat was driven against some trees and capsized. One of the occupants of the boat managed to get across in a helpless condition, one of thein was drowned, and the other two managed to cling to a tree top from Sunday afternoon till the following Monday afternoon, when they were rescued by a young man at the imminent peril of his own life. On the following Tuesday five persons, consisting of Mr. Franklin, Mr. Haskell, a son of the former about twelve years of age, and two other persons attempted to cross the river in a skiff. After passing through the timber abont eighty rods the current carried the boat against a tree with such force that it was capsized. The four men succeeded in reaching trees, and by clinging to them managed to keep their heads above water; the boy was carried down the stream and lost. Some time after, Mr. Coin was approaching the river from the east, and hearing the cries of the men in the river, gave the alarm and Mr. Myers with two other men set out in a boat to rescue them; when within a few yards of the men Mr. Myers was thrown out of the boat, but was fortunate enough to reach a tree to which he clung. A little after the boat was cap- sized, and the two other occupants of the boat were compelled to save them- selves by clinging to trees. There were then at one time seven men tossed about by the angry current, barely able to keep their heads above water by clinging to the trees. Another boat started from the shore which managed to rescue Mr. Haskell, who, in the meantime, had been washed from the tree to which he was clinging, and was carried to a tree top whence he was rescued in an exhausted and insensible condition. Still another boat put ont from the shore, but was soon swamped, leaving the occupant clinging to a tree. At this juncture Mr. Coin hastened to Boonesboro, giving the
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HISTORY OF BOONE COUNTY.
alarm as he went, and it was not long before a large crowd had gathered on the shore; ropes were procured, to which boats were attached, and by this means, one by one, the unfortunate men were rescued from their perilous condition.
Three young men, named respectively Blanchard, Boggs and Kinkade, were chiefly instrumental in saving the drowning men from a watery grave. This great flood is still well remembered by all who resided in the county at that time.
In 1872 an assault was made on a man by the name of Williams, by one G. W. Hays, in which the former received wounds from the effect of which he died. It seems that a public highway passed near Hays' premises, and, there being a slough which made the road impassable, people were in the habit of laying down the fence and driving through the field. Hays ob- jected to this, and one evening he put up the fence, drove stakes into the ground, and weighted them down with heavy rails. Williams came along the next morning with a team, and, not daring to venture through the slough, tore down the fence and was in the act of driving through, when Hays made his appearance and began an assault on Williams, with the re- sult already named. Hays was indicted and tried at the October term of court. The jury found him guilty of manslaughter, and he was sentenced to a term of two years' imprisonment in the penitentiary and to pay a fine of one hundred dollars.
At night, about half-past ten o'clock, February 4, 1873, a fire was dis- covered in the hardware store of Knox & Johnson, Boone. The fire origi- nated in the ceiling, through which a stovepipe passed. The fire spread rapidly, and before the flames could be checked six buildings were totally or in part destroyed, and nine places of business were burned out. Losses were as follows: Knox & Johnson $3,500, insurance $1,000; J. Stevens, loss over amount of insurance, $3,000; H. H. Sprague $1,500, covered by insurance; James Grace $2,600, insurance $600; R. J. Shannon $1,500, no insurance; T. R. Elsey $300, no insurance; James Grace, Sr., $50, no in- surance; Louis Burgess, slight loss; Miller & Lockwood, slight loss. The total loss amounted to about $15,000; total insurance, $6,000. This was the first serious fire which occurred in the city, and owing to the fact that most of the buildings were frame and to the inefficiency of the fire depart- anent, was a very severe loss to the young town.
On the 30th of October, 1873, J. B. Watkins, superintendent of the Chi- cago and Northwestern Railroad, was killed near Cedar Rapids. He, with several other railroad magnates, was riding in the directors' car attached to the rear of the regular express train. A freight train was following the express. From some cause the engine of the express train became dis- ahled, and Mr. Watkins stepped out to see what was the matter. Arriving at the outside, he caught sight of the freight train bearing down on them. He rushed forward toward the sleeper to aronse the inmates, and, arriving on the platform at the time the freight engine struck the train, was caught
between the cars and crushed to death. Mr. Watkins did not reside in Boone, but was well and favorably known here, and his tragic death was generally deplored; especially by the merchants and stock-shippers, who had learned to prize his manly and generous traits of character.
A terrible accident occurred at Logan & Canfield's coal mine on Thurs- day, September 12, 1874. The circumstances were as follows: Four men entered the cage at the top of the shaft for the purpose of descending into
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HISTORY OF BOONE COUNTY.
the mine. Almost immediately after entering the cage the wire rope at- tached to the draw, and by means of which the cage was raised and low- ered, broke, precipitating the men to the bottom of the shaft, a distance of two hundred and forty feet. The occupants of the cage were Tolbert Dale, a carpenter, who died immediately from the effects of his injuries; Thomas Brinn, miner, who was horribly mangled, and died the same day; David Parks, miner, whose leg was broken and shoulder dislocated, but recov- ered; and Ed. Roberts, the foreman, who was lucky enough to escape from the cage at the ground-landing, and did not receive serious injuries. Mr. Dale was a married man, the other two men injured being unmarried.
On Monday, December 7, 1875, a homicide occurred in Sarpey county, Nebraska, the parties concerned being both citizens of Boone county. A Swede, by the name of Camberg, lived in Boone and was employed in Howell's marble shop. His wife frequently visited her father's honse, which was situated near where lived a man by the name of Thompson .. While visiting in the Thompson neighborhood, Mrs. Camberg, it seems, became enamored of Mr. Thompson, and was by him seduced. Shortly afterward Thompson went to Nebraska, and Camberg, becoming cognizant of his wife's infidelity and ascertaining the whereabouts of her betrayer, armed himself with a shot-gun and proceeded to the house where Thomp. son was stopping, called him ont, and shot him dead. It seems that Thompson was a violent person of very bad habits, and, from all accounts, had very few if any friends in the county. After accomplishing the ruin of the woman, he took her with him to Nebraska, and was living with her at the time of the homicide.
On Sunday, April 16, 1876, Wr. Wm. Sutton and wife, who resided near Ridgeport, went to church and left at home two boys aged respect- ively 15 and 17 years. During the absence of the parents the boys began to play and romp. In the midst of the sport the older boy pulled a gun from under the bed and thinking it was not loaded pointed it at his younger brother, Willie, at the same time pulling the trigger. The gun was loaded and the charge lodged in the head of the boy. The boy died almost in- stantly.
On Saturday, July 8, 1876, a stranger arrived on the 2:30 train from the east, and registered at the Lincoln House in Boone. His name was H. C. Robinson, and he was from Malvern, Mills county, this State. After eat- ing a hearty a meal he went to a room which was assigned to him, and shortly afterward shot himself through the head. He died from the effects of the wound during the following night. From a message which was found in his room it was ascertained that the deed had been fully deter- mined on.
August 29, 1876, William Mort and Peter Rice were killed by the damp in a coal shaft located at Ontario in the east part of the county. Early in the morning Mort went into the mine to look after some matters, and when about half way down the shaft remarked that the air was bad, but instead of returning proceeded to the bottom of the shaft. He soon started to return, and when near the mouth of the shaft was completely overcome and fell back to the bottom of the shaft. Peter Rice immedi- ately descended to rescue the suffocated man, and upon reaching the bottom of the shaft immediately called to those above to raise him by means of a rope which he held in his hand. When about half way up he was com- pelled to loose his hold on the rope from exhaustion, and fell back into the
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HISTORY OF BOONE COUNTY.
mine. The two men were finally taken from the mine both dead. A cor- oner's jury was impaneled who rendered a verdict to the effect that Win. Mort and Peter Rice came to their death by reason of bad air in the Franklin coal mine on section 12, township 84, range 35, Boone county.
A shocking murder and suicide occurred at Moingona on April 20, 1877. One George Merrington, of the said place, had for a year or two been des- perately in love with Mrs. Abbie B. Gronow, a young widow lady. Mer- rington was not enconraged in his advances at love-making, and he brooded over his terrible disappointment until he finally determined upon killing both the object of his love and himself, which frightful determination was carried out at the time stated. No one was a witness of the affair. Pistol shots were heard at the residence of Mrs. Gronow, and a brother-in-law of the lady, Morgan by name, went to the house to see what was the matter. When near the house, and abont one rod from the front gate, he found Mrs. Gronow in a dying condition, with two bullet holes throngh her head. A few paces from where the woman lay, Merrington was found wallowing in his blood with a bullet hole through his head. Mrs. Gronow was about twenty-seven years old, an accomplished and intelligent lady, and univers- ally respected and adinired by all who knew her.
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