USA > Iowa > Des Moines County > The history of Des Moines county, Iowa, containing a history of the country, its cities, towns, &c., a biographical directory of citizens, war record of its volunteers > Part 59
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" Mr. Newhall refers to the one Indian trading-house in Shok-ko-kon in 1832, and compares the place with the 'Burlington' of 1841, where the traveler could "perambulate Water street with its spacious brick warehouses that would do honor to any city in the land. Then his bed might have been oak leaves, with the canopy of heaven for a covering ; or, perchance, his dinner might have consisted of wild honey from the hollow trunk of a hickory ; now he can dine sumptuously at the National, the Western, the Burlington or the Mansion House, and, in exchange for a seat upon a 'stump' with the company of an Indian trapper, he reposes on the drawing-room sofa, smoking 'Principes' with a judge. Such has been the progress of Burlington from the 'Flint Hills' of 1832 to the gay and bustling metropolis of 1841 !"
BUSINESS MEN OF AULD LANG SYNE.
It is exceedingly interesting to look over the names of prominent business men of thirty-five years ago, but sad to reflect how few of them are left in our midst. They have, many of them, removed to other scenes of activity, or passed to that bourn whence no traveler ever returns. Mr. Newhall, in his "Directory of some of the principal mercantile establishments, professions, etc., for 1840-41," mentions the following :
Forwarding and commission houses, dry goods, etc., Bridgman & Partridge, H. W. Moore & Co., David & Kitchen, Webber & Remey, Charles Nealley, Chase & Kimball, Ewing & Logan, M. B. Cox & Co., C. Eddy & Co., W. Jones, McCarver & White, Luke Palmer; hardware, Cook & Cochrane: jewelry. A. W. Carpenter ; druggists and apothecaries, Hasbrauck & Wheeler, J. M. Rob- ertson ; stoves and castings, Patterson & Ralston ; sheet-iron, tin, stoves, etc., S. A. Hudson, W. Ladd; saddlery, J. K. Field; shoe and leather dealers, Adams & Co .; gunsmith, L. Babbitt ; tailoring establishments, George Temple, C. H. Miller, - Buel, P. Dykens, Lucas & Morrison ; groceries, coffee- houses and provision stores, J. G. Kriechbaum, W. C. Morrison, Robert Burns, Bruin J. Wood & Son. Among the
480
HISTORY OF DES MOINES COUNTY.
PROFESSIONAL MEN
were the following physicians, none of whom are now living here: Drs. Enos Lowe. L. W. Iliekok, E. B. Price, S. Ransom, Robert Martin, James W. Davis. The attorneys were J. D. Learned. W. Henry Starr, D. Rorer, William HI. Starr, W. W. Chapman, James W. Woods, M. D. Browning, Shep- herd Lefller. James W. Grimes, J. R. Fayerweather.
HOTELS.
National House, kept by J. C. Fletcher : Burlington House, kept by A. H. Miller; Mansion House, kept by D. & T. B. Hammers ; Western Hotel, kept by James W. Nealley : lowa Hotel, kept by George W. Hight ; Farmers' Inn, kept by Mr. Steele.
David B. Anderson and Henry C. Anderson were authorized to keep a ferry across the Mississippi at the lower end of Burlington January 19, 1844.
EXECUTION OF THE HODGE BROTHERS.
The only executions which have taken place in Des Moines [ County were those which transpired in 1845, being the legal hanging of William and Stephen Hodge. Those unfortunate young men were guilty of murder, and paid the penalty of their atrocious crime, on a gallows erected west of Burlington, near the Mount Pleasant road, in a natural amphitheater formed by surrounding hil- loeks. The history of the crime and its result is one of the most peculiar and dramatic that has been discovered by the writer in the annals of the State.
On the night of May 10, 1845, partially disguised men entered the house of one Leise, three miles west of West Point, in Lee County, evidently for the purpose of robbing the inmates of real or supposed wealth. The family con- sisted of Leise, his father-in-law, John Miller, and Mr. and Mrs. Risser, the latter a daughter of Leise. In the early morning light, the young couple, who were aroused from their slumbers by the noise of a pistol-shot and heavy blows, discovered men in the room occupied by the older men. A deadly encounter was in progress. As soon as he could do so, Risser appeared on the scene, when the assailants fled, leaving behind them a cap and two or three clubs. Just ontside the door, John Miller's dead body was found. lying in a pool of blood, which flowed from a fearful stab or knife-wound, which had reached a vital spot. Leise was discovered to be in a fatally wounded condition, having been shot with a pistol and also badly ent with some sharp instrument.
Shortly after the murder, the Hodges, who were Mormons and lived at Nauvoo, Ill., were arrested and indicted for the crime. The tribunal before which the criminals were taken was the Territorial District Court, over which Chief Justice Charles Mason presided. This Court held its sessions in Bur- lington, in the church edifice now known as " Old Zion," which was then the only commodious building in the place. This fact furnishes the peculiar feat- ures of the case.
The trial began Monday, June 16, 1845. The jury consisted of David Leonard, Eli Walker, Robert Mickey, James Snow, Isaac Chandler, Vincent Shelley. William Bennett, Joel Hargrove, Moses B. Nutt, John Smith, Thomas Stont and John D. Cameron. L. D. Stockton was prosecutor, and F. D. Mills appeared for the defense. The case lasted one week. The testimony appears in full in the Hawk-Eye of June 26, 1845-a piece of newspaper enterprise resulting from Mr. Edwards' accomplishment as a stenographer. Saturday evening, the 21st, the case went to the jury. Sunday morning, the verdict
481
HISTORY OF DES MOINES COUNTY.
was announced. At 9 A. M. of that day, an intensely excited audience assem- bled in Old Zion, not for the purpose of listening to the preaching of the Gos- pel, but to hear the rendering of an awful verdict. Judge Mason received the jury, and the formal proceedings in such cases were observed. The jury found the two prisoners at the bar guilty of murder in the first degree. The jury was discharged, and the Court adjourned until 3 P. M. of that day. Again a dense throng congregated within the walls of that edifice, which had so often reverberated with the songs of praise, and again with all the varying notes of human tongue, from Indian war-whoops to the laughter of innocent children, as they gazed upon some trifling exhibition intended to amuse if not instruct. On that awful day, they were awaiting, with hushed breath, to hear, not the word of life, but the grim sentence of a justly inflicted death. The rude tem- ple which had been so often used as the house of God, now beheld a spectacle which found its parallel in the old Mosaic dispensation. The majesty of the law had been assailed ; blood had been spilled by hands familiar with crime, and He who spake from Sinai's flashing cloud had uttered the edict, which could not be disobeyed.
The scene within those wall was one which lacked no element of dramatic power. The pulpit from which sinning humanity had been exhorted to repent and forsake the paths that lead to ruin, was transformed into a bar of justice, from whence should issue the proof of that inexorable warning, " the way of the transgressor is hard." The prisoners were arraigned before the altar, and as the Judge pronounced the sentence, his words betrayed the emotions of his heart. The criminals were but boys in years, but their records proved that their days had been given up to works of evil.
They were sentenced to be hanged on the 15th of July, 1845. During their brief confinement in the jail, they were visited frequently by men and women, who urged upon them the necessity of preparing for the day of doom. A partial confession was made by the younger brother, but the elder remained doggedly indifferent to his fate.
John H. McKenny was Sheriff of the county, and upon him devolved the painful duty of carrying out the sentence. The men were attended by several clergymen at the scaffold, and there again requested to make confession. They both refused to do so, however, and persisted in declaring their innocence. The speeches from the gallows were terrible, considering the clearness of the case. The final act was performed, after they had signified their readiness, and the two young men passed before a tribunal higher than that of earth.
After a lapse of thirty-four years, no evidence has been produced to alter public belief in the justice of the verdict.
BURLINGTON IN 1845.
In August, 1845, the Hawk-Eye gave the population of Burlington as 3,000. During the two years preceding, it had grown with a "rapidity which aston- ished everybody," to quote the language of that paper. More than one hun- dred and fifty buildings had been erected in less than two years.
In 1846, the Hawk-Eye said that the city was still " on the onward march. Its steady growth, the permanency of its buildings, the moral character of its inhabitants, the liberal course pursued by its merchants, and its facility of trade make it a desirable locality."
SEARS' DESCRIPTION IN 1848.
In 1848, there was published a book called "A New and Popular Pictorial Description of the United States," by Robert Sears, of New York. The char_
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HISTORY OF DES MOINES COUNTY.
acter of the work was such as to include brief mention of the new States and Territories. From those pages are gathered fragments of information pertinent to the subject here considered.
In the light of established fact it is interesting to read that, in 1848, the belief was that " Iowa is destined to become one of the great States of the West. No country on the globe is better situated for farming purposes."
The city of Burlington was then able to boast of about two thousand inhab- itants. " Daily communication was had by steamboats with near and distant river towns, above and below, and by stage coaches three times a week with Dubuque."
For the year ending June, 1847, the business of Burlington was reported as follows :
Imports-687 tons of salt; 305 tons of iron, stoves and casting; 2,784 tons of general merchandise.
Exports-16,354 bushels of oats ; 118,228 bushels of corn ; 207,948 bush- els of wheat; 666 bushels of beans; 500 bushels of flaxseed; 1,847 bushels of barley; 32,821 barrels of flour; 384 barrels of whisky; 1,643 tons of pork, bacon and lard ; 150 tons of hay ; 23 tons of dry hides. Total tonnage, 14,250. Average cost of transportation, $6 per ton.
There were 524 steamboat arrivals. Cabin passage from St. Louis was $5, and 5,230 passengers made the trip. Besides that number of first-class travel- ers, there were 7,845 who took a half-price ticket, and poorer accommodations below deck. There were about one thousand horses and vehicles moved by steamer during the year.
A comparative statement of the Western cities is interesting in connection with the foregoing. In 1848, Chicago had surprised the country by growing to the enormous size of 17,000 inhabitants. St. Louis claimed 16,469 within the then chartered limits, and 26,000 including suburbs. It was " the greatest river port, except New Orleans, in the world !" Its steamboat arrivals num- bered 2,412, with a tonnage of 467,824. Detroit, which was the capital of this region when the original counties of Des Moines and Dubuque were cre- ated, then numbered 19,000 inhabitants.
THE DIRECTORY OF 1856.
From the " Business Directory and Review " of 1856, is gathered a state- ment of the condition of the city at that time. The citizens were pronounced a " driving, thrifty, persevering " class of men, and the prosperity of the town sustained the assertion. The pork trade amounted to a large sum. The shipment of hogs, pork, lard, etc., during the winter of 1855-56 was as follows: Live hogs, 30,172; dressed hogs, 19,075 ; barrels of pork, 719; pounds of lard, 592,655. About 65,000 hogs were slaughtered. Next in importance came the grain trade. The amount of grain hauled was : Wheat, 297.000 bushels ; oats, 304,000 bushels; corn, 100,000 bushels; rve, 6,100 bushels. There were 21,900 barrels 'of flour manufactured. The sales of lumber aggregated 7,200.000 feet. The wholesale and retail goods trade was divided as follows : dry goods, wholesale. $300,000 ; retail, $285,000; groceries, wholesale, $477,000; hardware. $209,000 ; drugs, etc., $150,000; aggregate sales $1,421,000.
We quote further from the Directory: " The manufactures of Burlington deserve attention. There are three breweries in operation, which manufacture about 200 barrels of beer per week ; but on account of the temperance law of this State, farmers did not raise barley, and it is difficult to get grain enough
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HISTORY OF DES MOINES COUNTY.
to keep the breweries going. They are now dependent entirely upon Illinois and Wisconsin.
" There are two plow-factories, one of which employ twenty hands, and turned out during the year 1855, 3,500 plows. There is a carriage-factory, which employs twenty hands, and the workmanship is said to be equal to any- thing brought from the East. There is a Woodworth plaining-mill, which is kept busily employed; but the amount of lumber manufactured could not be ascertained. A sash-factory employs ten hands, and turns out about $15,000 worth of work per annum. There are seven brick-yards, which manufactured upward of 3,500,000 bricks during the last year. The present year (1856), they will make 7,000,000. The price of common brick is $5 per thousand. There are three steam saw-mills, but logs have been so scarce during the present year, that they were not kept running regularly. There are three iron foundries, and steam-engine and saw-mill manufacturers and builders. The number of engines built was eighty-five; fifty-six boilers were constructed; one hundred and twenty saw-mills were erected, and the total value of the manufactures was $175,000.
" The city has steadily increased in all essentials that go to make up a thriving city, and for the last few years it has gone ahead with a rapidity and, yet, with a prudence, on the part of her business men, that gives an earnest of future greatness not to be excelled by any point in the great Northwest. From a population of a little over two thousand in 1850, that had increased in 1854 to about eight thousand, it has now (May 1, 1856) attained a little less than fifteen thousand.
" Our railroads, east to Chicago, have been in operation about one year, and in that time, our city has increased nearly 100 per cent in population, and from 200 to 400 per cent in business ; and this, notwithstanding a great part of our imports by the river, have had to pay a heavy toll at the Des Moines Rapids, a fact which has lost to St. Louis a large amount of trade.
"Our railroad west to the Missouri, too, has made a noble start; and ere another year has rolled around, the snorting of the iron horse will be heard across the prairies.
" The work has been commenced of tearing down and removing old houses, and breaking ground preparatory to the erection of many new and expensive blocks of buildings. There have also been erected, within the past year, three large and beautiful churches-one of them said to be the finest in Iowa; and whilst the business part of the city has been filling up with large and substan- tial houses, indicative of our prosperity, the elevated plains which surround the city on three sides, and are a part of it, have been covered with nice cottages and costly dwellings, nearly every one having ample grounds. thus making Burlington as delightful a place of residence, as it is desirable a place of business."
THE FIRST GENERAL DIRECTORY.
The first directory of the city of Burlington was compiled by Watson Bow- ron, and published by J. L. Corse & Son, No. 30 Jefferson street, in 1859. It is a little book of 108 pages, with nearly every alternate page an advertise- ment, and there are probably very few of them at present in existence. It contains the official roster of the city, a list of the churches and their pastors, a list of societies and their officers, and of schools and their teachers, besides the military companies, the printing offices, banks, and the names of the various post offices in the county. To a resident of the city twenty years ago, it would be very fruitful of remembrance; and from a preliminary sketch of the city's
484
HISTORY OF DES MOINES COUNTY.
history. we extract a description of it, as it was when the work was pre- pared :
"At the time of compiling this directory, its population, as nearly as we can estimate. is somewhat over fifteen thousand. The business portion of the city is mostly limited to the lower districts, skirting the river and the banks of the Hawk-Eve, whose bed divides the city about midway, running east and west; the hills on either hand are, for the most part, crowded with dwelling-houses-many of them ornamental and extensive. It contains fourteen churches, namely : Three Preseyterian, two Baptist, two Methodist, two Catholic, two German Reformed, one Lutheran, one Episcopal and one Congregational. Some other congregations, that have no house of worship, hold their meetings in some one or other of the numerous large public halls, with which the city is well supplied. There are two large public schoolhouses; one situated on the north, and the other on the south hill, each capable of accommodating from four to six schools. The Burlington University, under the control of the Baptist Church, occupies a handsome range of buildings and conspicuous location on the hill rising in the western portion of the city. It is a flourishing institution and well endowed. Besides these public schools, there are numerous private classes taught in various parts of the city, and there is no lack of the means of educa- tion.
"The conformation of the surrounding country insures to Burlington a prominent position among the business places of this section of the Union. For nearly twenty miles above and below, on either side of the river, the for- mation of its banks precludes the establishment of a rival town of any importance ; thus.an extensive section of the finest and most fertile country in the world inust forever remain tributary to this point.
" In addition to these natural advantages, capital and labor have lent their aid, with ustinting hand. to advance its interests. Early in the year 1855, the Burlington & Chicago Railroad was opened. Previous to this, all transac- tions and purchases of produce and goods were with reference to the facilities offered for transportation by the Mississippi. During a greater part of the year, the river was either frozen over or a general stage of low water rendered navi- gation uncertain and tedious. But the opening of this road to the lakes, put us in direct communication with Eastern cities, and thereafter there was no necessity for depending upon the river for transportation, except for heavy goods purchased in the Southern markets. Much difficulty was still expe- rienced in that particular, as the season for making such purchases came at the time of the lowest stage of water, which entirely prevented the passage of boats of the larger size over the lower rapids. Happily for our merchants, they are not obliged any longer to wait for high water. In May, 1856, the Burlington A Quiney Railroad was opened, and our dealers have taken advantage of the facilities offered for obtaining their supplies of heavy goods by that route, which reaches the river so far below the rapids as not to be dependent upon high water, there being always sufficient water at Quincy for boats of the larger class.
" In August, 1856, the Burlington & Missouri River Railroad was put in operation from this city to Mount Pleasant. Much was expected from this road. Burlington merchants, grain and provision dealers and manufacturers anticipated a largely-increased trade, by reason of the superior facilities it offered for reaching the trade of the interior, and from present appearances their anticipations will be fully realized. The country through which the road passes is one of unlimited resources, which are only partially developed. When
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HISTORY OF DES MOINES COUNTY.
this road shall have been finished through to the Missouri River, and have formed all of its connections, it cannot but become one of the best paying roads in the West. It is now finished to a point near the line of Wapello County, and is expected to reach the Des Moines River, at Ottumwa, in the course of the present winter, penetrating into the interior of the State farther than any other road at this time. It is also being pushed forward with greater activity than any other.
" The Peoria & Burlington Railroad was opened for trade in the early part of last year. This important road puts this city in direct connection with the cities and towns of Central, Eastern and Southern Illinois, as the Chicago road does with the northern section of that State and the Eastern States. Thus does this city already enjoy great facilities in the way of railroad travel and transportation, and further are yet in contemplation. A road to connect with the Keokuk Road at Fort Madison has been determined on, by which the impediment to the connection with the river, below the rapids, in low stages of the water, will be obviated. This last-named road will probably be extended as far northward as the Muscatine & Oskaloosa Trunk Road, near the mouth of Cedar River, in Louisa County.
" It is not necessary, here, to go into a detail of the different branches of business carried on in Burlington. It may be as well, however, to give some general statistics concerning the trade and commerce of this place. The means at our command is the report of the Board of Trade, made last year. During the previous year, the aggregate sales in the dry goods line reached the sum of $891,000. The sales of groceries reached about the same figures. Of hard- ware, iron and stoves, the sales amounted to : For hardware, $188,200; iron, $68,000 ; stoves, $75,500. The amount of shoes manufactured exceeded the sum of $20,000, but the aggregate of sales could not be ascertaincd. The aggregate sales of furniture amounted to the sum of $75,000, while the amount manufactured was $20,400. The following table shows the amount of lumber sold during the year :
Lumber
12,850,000 feet. 7,858,000
Shingles.
Lath 4,000,000
" For fuel the river bottoms afford an inexhaustible supply of wood, and the country on either side, within a moderate distance, furnishes abundance of coal. The amount of coal brought to the city by the Burlington & Chicago Railroad, for that year, was 3,996 tons. The total amount of flour manufact- ured by the City Mills was 54,000 barrels, and the total amount forwarded by the railroad East for the year was 18,700 barrels. Of wheat the total receipts were 437,000 bushels, and the total forwarded by railroad was 187,500 bushels. Of corn, 34,000 bushels were forwarded to Chicago, and 17,000 bushels shipped to Southern and Northern ports. Of vinegar, 8,000 barrels were manufact- ured, at a cost of $24,000 ; and of lager beer, 4,996 barrels were made, at a cost of about $50,000. A large number of fat cattle are annually sent East by railroad.
"The following table shows the number of hogs forwarded by railroad, and the number slaughtered and packed during the year, also the number shipped in 1855:
Hlogs forwarded by Burlington & Chicago R. R., live. 52,371
66 66 66 66 dressed. 16,664
Hogs slaughtered at our slaughter and packing houses.
64,000
Hogs packed. .
1,200
Hogs forwarded, 1855-dressed, 1,400; live 20,480
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HISTORY OF DES MOINES COUNTY.
" With regard to these returns, it may be remarked, that trade and com- merce are, as yet, in embryo at this point, and of course must be expected to increase, though at certain seasons there may be partial and occasional diminu- tions.
"We will conclude with the following tables of exports and imports, and of manufactories from the same report. The table shows the exports and imports of Burlington for the year 1856:
RECEIVED BY BURLINGTON & CHICAGO RAILROAD.
Promiscous freight, tons.
14,099
Coal, tons.
4,000
Lumber, feet
4,000,000
Shingles
8,600,000
Lath.
2,000,000
RECEIVED BY RIVER.
l'romiscuous freight, tons.
8,000
Coal, tons.
..
100
Lumber, feet
8,800,000
Shingles
550,000
Lath.
2,000,000
FORWARDED BY BURLINGTON & CHICAGO RAILROAD.
Wheat, bushels.
187,500
Corn, bushels
33,800
Oats, bushels
15,000
Wool, lbs
46,000
Flour, brls
18,671
Lard, brls
4,984
Pork, brls.
769
Bacon, lbs
2,118,200
Live hogs.
52,375
Dressed hogs
16,664
l'romiscuous articles, tons
8,000
.
EXPORTS BY RIVER.
Wheat, bushels
10,000
Corn, bushels
17,000
Oats, bushels.
10,000
Bacon, lbs
5,200,000
Pork, brls.
65,000
Lard, bris
6,000
Promiscuous freight, tons ..
2,500
Steamboats arrived and departed.
973
Steamboat Laclede, first arrival, April 2.
Steamboat Adelia, last departure, December 4.
" In presenting a report of the manufactures of Burlington, we have en- deavored not so much to show what is produced, or the value, as to bring out in a prominent way what is being done; also, to show that the profits arising from almost any kind of manufacturing are as large or larger than those of the merchant, and, at the same time, to show the necessity of encouraging this branch of trade. Our merchants have done a large and, we trust, a profitable business. Our railroads do a large carrying trade ; our forwarders, provision and grain dealers are not behind any of their class, in point of energy and suc- cessful enterprise. Yet all of these add but little to the advancement and future growth of our city when compared with what might and would be added to its wealth and population by judicious investment of capital in different kinds of manufacturing. The aggregate of wares manufactured for the year
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