USA > Iowa > Lee County > The history of Lee county, Iowa, containing a history of the county, its cities, towns, &c. > Part 64
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89 | Part 90 | Part 91 | Part 92 | Part 93 | Part 94 | Part 95 | Part 96 | Part 97 | Part 98 | Part 99 | Part 100 | Part 101 | Part 102 | Part 103 | Part 104 | Part 105 | Part 106 | Part 107 | Part 108 | Part 109 | Part 110 | Part 111 | Part 112 | Part 113 | Part 114 | Part 115 | Part 116 | Part 117 | Part 118
"In setting up the claims that the grants for improving the river Des Moines extended above the Raccoon Fork, the citizens of Iowa were united until after the grant of lands by Congress for railroad purposes was made. After this, the railroad companies became interested in the lands claimed for the River Improvement, and claimed that the grant did not embrace any lands above the Raccoon Fork, on which the citizens of Iowa were now divided, and both sides of the question were represented. Upon this phase of the case, the officer of the Land Department at Washington had but very little hesita- tion in deciding against the claims of the River Improvement. After this (lecision was made, the legal tribunals were resorted to, and a case was taken to the Supreme Court of the United States, where the same decision was given as in the Land Office.
"On the 3d of March, 1860, there was an act passed abolishing the office. of Commissioner of the Des Moines River Improvement, and George G. Wright, Edward Johnson and Christian W. Slagle were appointed a Board of Commis- sioners for the purpose of ascertaining all the liabilities against the Des Moines River Improvement, and against the State of Iowa, growing out of the Im- provement. They were required to meet at Keosauqua, and were clothed with power similar to the District Court, to hear and determine all claims growing out of the Improvement, and were authorized to sell all the interests of the State, and all dams and improvements, and the lands appertaining thereto. These Commissioners proceeded with their duties, and with their labors closed all official acts, as far as the State was concerned, in applying the proceeds of this land-grant toward the improvement of the navigation of the river Des Moines.
" This was a most magnificent grant, embracing some of the best lands in the State; and if the proceeds had been judiciously and properly expended, would have made a great thoroughfare for steamboats, besides affording an immense water-power for driving machinery. But, through the incompetency of managing the means, and the intrigues of designing men, the whole of the lands below the Raccoon Fork, and a large quantity above, were disposed of and very little practical good accomplished toward the navigation of the river."
THE HALF-BREED TRACT.
[See pp. 164-5-6.] COURT DECISIONS.
Under the act of Congress approved January 30, 1834, giving the half- breeds a title to their lands in fee simple, a horde of speculators rushed to the country to trade and bargain with the half-Indians. Sharp bargains were made, and many of those for whose benefit the law was passed parted with their lands for a mere trifle.
530
HISTORY OF LEE COUNTY.
The commission appointed to decide upon the validity of claims first met at Montrose, on Wednesday, the 9th day of May, 1838, where claimants were summoned to appear and " prove up." The hearing of testimony continued until the first session of the Iowa Legislature (which met November 12, 1838), when influences were brought to bear that secured the repeal of the act under which the commission was appointed, as well as the purposes for which it was intended. This repeal not only re-opened the claim question to disturb the country again, but also deprived the Commissioners of their per diem from the Territorial treasury.
When the repealing act was introduced, the friends of the Commissioners attached thereto certain sections giving them a lien on the half-breed lands. The second section of the act provided that the several Commissioners, by and under the act repealed, who were authorized to sit and take testimony, etc., under said act, " may immediately, or as soon as convenient, commence action before the District Court of Lee County for their several accounts against the owners of the half-breed lands, and give eight weeks' notice in the Iowa Terri- torial Gazette to said owners of such lands ; and the Judges of said District Court, upon the trial of said suits before it at the next term, shall, if said accounts are deemed correct, order judgment for the amount and cost to be entered up against said owners, and said judgments shall be a lien on said lands," etc. The third section declared "the words 'owners of half-breed lands lying in Lee County ' shall be a sufficient designation and specification of the defendants in said suits." And by the fifth section it was provided that " the trial of said suits shall be before the Court, and not a jury; and this act shall receive a liberal construction, such as will carry out the spirit and inten- tion thereof."
At the August term of the District Court of Lee County, 1839, two judg- ments and executions on these lands were obtained-one in behalf of Edward Johnstone, for $1,290; the other in behalf of David Brigham, for $818, for services rendered as Commissioners ; and the whole Half-Breed Tract was sold to Hugh T. Reid. The Sheriff, Hawkins Taylor, returned on both the executions that he had levied " on the Half-Breed Sac and Fox Reservation in Lee County, Iowa Territory, commonly called the Half-Breed Tract, and had advertised and sold the same for $2,884.66."
In pursuance of this sale, William Stotts, the Sheriff, succeeding Hawkins Taylor, made to Hugh T. Reid, the purchaser, a deed for the lands levied on, containing 119,000 acres, more or less.
Mr. Reid sold more or less of it, at different times and to different pur- chasers, but the titles based on the judgments did not hold good.
In the litigation which followed, the titles derived through Reid were known as the "judgment titles."
Early in 1841, Edward Johnstone and Hugh T. Reid (then law partners at Fort Madison), as attorneys for the St. Louis claimants of half-breed lands, filed a petition at the May term of the United States District Court for the Ter- ritory of Iowa for a decree of partition. Francis S. Key, author of the " Star Spangled Banner," who was then an attorney for the New York Land Com- pany, which held heavy interests in these lands, was one of the attorneys for the Company, and drew the decree by which the Half-Breed Tract was parti- tioned and divided amongst the several claimants to the ownership of the lands. Judge Charles Mason, of Burlington, presided. The decree for partition divided the tract into 101 shares, and arranged that each claimant should draw his pro- portion by lot, and that they should abide by the result, whatever it might be.
531
HISTORY OF LEE COUNTY.
The decree of partition was signed by the Court May 8, 1841. Now fol- lowed, until about fifteen years thereafter, a series of lawsuits between the claimants under the judgment and decree titles on the one side, and the settlers on the Half-Breed Tract, who numbered several thousand, on the other side. These titles were also contended against by parties who owned half-breed titles, but had not been recognized by the decree, which was one of mutual compromise by the parties then before the Court. Finally, partly by compromise and partly by success of litigation, the decree title obtained the advantage, and became the settled and established title to the Half-Breed Tract.
[" A Member of the Bar " prepared a very full and concise history of the legal contest, and the status of the titles as they existed at the time, which was published in the Keokuk Register in December, 1848, where it is preserved, and where it may be reviewed if any of the points involved ever become subjects of controversy or dispute.]
Owing to the fact that no names were mentioned in the law giving the half- breeds power to sell, it was difficult to fix upon the real owners. Sometimes a full-blooded Indian sold a tract of land in which he had no earthly interest. Sometimes a half-breed of some other tribe palmed himself off as a half-breed Sac and Fox, and in other instances genuine half-breeds sold and conveyed their interests to several different parties. From these causes it became difficult to determine between an honest title and a bogus one. Confusion became worse con- founded. Many people had settled on the lands under the impression that there was no title vested in any person ; that the land still belonged to the General Government, and that they were entitled to pre-emption rights as first settlers. Owing to these different opinions, there was a considerable population on the land when the decree of partition was made who held defective titles, and who, in numbers as well as determination, were too formidable to be hastily removed. Under such circumstances, it is not strange that there were numerous instances of attempted resistance to legal process of ejectment, or that fierce excitement and violent outbreaks were of frequent occurrence.
THE PRESS.
" But mightiest of the mighty means On which the arm of progress leans, Man's noblest mission to advance, His woes assuage his weal enhance, His rights enforce, his wrongs redress- MIGHTIEST OF MIGHTY IS THE PRESS."
FIRST IOWA NEWSPAPERS.
The first newspaper published in what is now the great State of Iowa, was the Dubuque Visitor, printed by William C. Jones on a press brought from Ohio by John King in 1834, when he came to assume the office of Chief Justice of Dubuque County, one of the two into which the Black Hawk Purchase was divided when it was made part of Michigan Territory. The first number of the Visitor was issued May 11, 1836, and the first type-setting was done by Andrew Giesecker, who, for many years afterward, was associated with the Iowa press.
Soon after the appearance of the Dubuque Visitor, Dr. Isaac Galland com- menced the publication of a paper at Montrose, called The Western Advent- urer, but it lacked support, and its publication was suspended in less than two years.
532
HISTORY OF LEE COUNTY.
FORT MADISON NEWSPAPERS.
Some time after Dr. Galland suspended the publication of The Adventurer. he sold the material on which it was printed to James G. Edwards, who came from Jacksonville, Ill. Mr. Edwards removed the office to Fort Madison and commenced the publication of the Fort Madison Patriot, the first number being issued on the 24th day of March, 1838. The Patriot was a strong partisan sheet, and was the first Whig paper published in Iowa.
The Patriot was commenced as a twenty-eight column sheet, in the first number of which appeared the following suggestion of the editor : " If a division of the Territory is effected, we propose that the Iowans take the cognomen of ยท Hawk-eyes.' Our etymology can thus be more definitely traced than that of the Wolverines, Suckers, Gophers, etc., and we shall rescue from oblivion a memento, at least, of the name of the old chief. Who seconds the motion ?"
After the Territory of Iowa was created, the seat of government was located at Burlington, and Edwards was induced to move his press to that place, where, on the 13th of December, 1838, he issued a specimen number of a paper called the Burlington Patriot, but the regular publication did not commence until June 6, 1839.
The Fort Madison Courier was established by R. Wilson Albright, who brought out the first number July 24, 1841, with an humble apology for failing to get out his paper according to schedule time, on account of unavoidable delay in getting his material from St. Louis, and with a neat salutatory stating that the Courier would maintain a neutral position in politics. The subscription price of the paper was fixed at $2.50, in advance, $3.00 if paid at the expira- tion of six months : and if unpaid at the end of one year, $4 was the sum demanded.
In the first issue of the Courier appears a description of the different towns in Lee County, taken from " Newhall's Sketches of Iowa," a small work pub- lished in 1840. The population of Fort Madison was estimated at this time at 700, Keokuk at 150. In this first issue also appears Philip Viele's address of welcome to Governor Chambers, on his visit to Fort Madison, July 20, and the Governor's reply; also, notice of a meeting held at West Point, July 17. for the purpose of organizing an agricultural society, and of an interesting camp- meeting then in progress at Solomon Jackson's, near West Point.
The Courier continued to appear weekly until December 11, 1841, when William E. Mason, a nephew of Judge Charles Mason, purchased an interest, and the name was changed to the Lee County Democrat. The gag of neutral- ity was removed, and it became an organ of the Democratic party. April 1, 1842, Mason sold his interest to O. S. X. Peck, and the firm became Albright & Peck. This connection existed until June 11, 1842, when Albright bought Peck's interest and again became sole proprietor.
February 8, 1845, W. C. Stripe, now of Keokuk, was employed as asso- ciate editor, which position he continued to hold until the following December, when he was succeeded by T. S. Espy, a lawyer, who had recently settled in Fort Madison, now living in St. Louis. Espy took entire charge of the edito- rial columns, which he conducted until 1847, when Albright sold the office and material to George H. Williams (afterward Attorney General of the United States by appointment of President Grant), who changed the name of the paper to the Iowa Statesman. After a few months, it again changed hands, being purchased by J. D. Spaulding, who, for a short time associated with him W. W. Phelps, a young printer from Nauvoo.
533
HISTORY OF LEE COUNTY.
In February, 1852, Hon. John Van Valkenburg, then a law student in Fort Madison, induced Lewis V. Taft and others to purchase the paper, and the name was changed to the Fort Madison Plain Dealer, but it still advocated the doctrine of Democracy after the olden school. After four years of battle for the party, Taft sold out to J. D. Storms, B. Grosman and A. Stoddard. This tripartite alliance was soon after changed by Storms dropping out, leaving Grosman as publisher, and Stoddard as editor. A little later, Stoddard aban- boned the field and Grosman fought the battle single-handed until July 1, 1859, when W. P. Staub purchased the office, whom the retiring editor intro- duced to his patrons as "a young man of good morals and industrious habits." Under Staubs' proprietorship James D. Eads had editorial charge from Sep- tember, 1858, until October, 1859, and Dr. A. C. Roberts was editor from the fall of 1859, until May 3, 1861, when Judge J. M. Casey took charge for about three years. On the 2d of May, 1861, Mr. Staub, in connection with his weekly paper, began the issue of the Gem City Telegraph, a daily, but after an experience of thirteen weeks, at a loss of $75 per week, the paper was discontinued.
In July, 1863, Mr. Staub sold out to William Caffrey. This sale was made with the understanding that the Plain Dealer was to be continued as a Demo- cratic organ, but the contract had scarcely been closed when Staub received information that a change in its politics had been decided upon. Staub had still two weeks' control of the paper, in which he endeavored, as far as possible, to counteract the effect of the proposed change, and in the mean time induced Hussey & Hickman, at that time publishing the Banner, a Democratic paper at Montrose, to remove their press and place of business to Fort Madison. The move was not a success, however, and the Banner was short-lived.
Caffrey took possession of the Plain Dealer August 7, 1863, and it was changed in politics to a straight-out Republican paper.
In May, 1864, Col. J. G. Wilson purchased the paper, continuing as editor and proprietor until July, 1865, when he sold an interest to R. G. Raswick, which partnership continued until May, 1876, when W. D. Pratt bought Mr. Wilson's remaining interest. February 1, 1877, H. W. Dodd purchased of Pratt, and, in turn, sold to the present proprietors, Dawley & Tremaine, November 11, 1878. Under Mr. Dodd's management, there was a marked improvement in the character of the Plain Dealer. He gathered correspond- ence from foreign and local points, and introduced other features to which the paper had previously been a stranger. His editorials were ably and fearlessly written. The dissemination of truth was his great aim, and wrong received no favor at his hands. His tact and energy increased the subscription-list to three times the number of names on the books when he purchased the office, while the advertising patronage was almost doubled. At last, however, a combination of political circumstances, over which he had no control, and which would have caused abler management to yield to the fierce blast long before, conspired to cripple his efforts, and he sold the office, good-will, etc., to Dawley & Tremaine.
The present proprietors are young men, ambitious to succeed, and a consid- erable increase in the circulation has already resulted from their management. The Plain Dealer is thoroughly Republican in politics, and, with its thousand copies issued weekly, wields a large influence in the county.
THE FORT MADISON DEMOCRAT
was established by C. L. Morehouse in 1867. The first issue was a seven- column folio. He sold out to W. P. Staub in 1870, who continued in the own-
534
HISTORY OF LEE COUNTY.
ership until January, 1874, when it was purchased by Dr. A. C. Roberts and Henry L. Schroeder. At this time, the circulation of the Democrat was less than four hundred copies.
The new proprietors moved the press from its location, over the post office, into more commodious quarters, in the Metropolitan Building. The paper was still but a seven-column sheet, and the press an old-fashioned hand concern-a regular " man-killer."
In the spring of 1875, the circulation of the Democrat had increased to . such an extent that greater facilities for its publication became necessary. New type, new cuts, new heading and a new press of the Potter patent, were pur- chased, which latter was rigged for hand-power; but, after two months' opera- tion, a steam-engine was purchased. The improved appearance of the paper and the enterprise manifested in its make-up and management brought new subscribers, and the increase of business rendered more room necessary. In the summer of 1875, Dr. Roberts erected the building now occupied by the paper, and the office is now one of the most commodious and best appointed of any weekly paper in the State. The new building is 95x25 feet, three stories in height, the first floor and basement of which is used for offices of the paper and store-room, the second is arranged for business-offices, and the third is occupied by Fort Madison Lodge, No. 157, I. O. O. F.
For job-work, two presses are used-a Gordon, which can be speeded to 2,000 impressions per hour, and a " Novelty," to 2,400. In addition to other facilities for job-work, they have the largest assortment of wood-type in the county.
January 1, 1878, the Democrat was enlarged to its present size and quarto form.
The proprietors have aimed to make it a superior family paper, and that they have succeeded its large circulation bears ample testimony. It ranks, to-day, among the best in the State.
The Knight's Sword and Helmet .- This paper, the official organ of the Order of the Knights of Pythias in the State of Iowa, was established Febru- ary 1, 1877, by the Pythian Printing Company, with H. W. Dodd as Manager. During its first year, Hon. John Van Valkenburg was editor; but, since that time, Mr. Dodd has been sole editor and manager. It is a monthly journal, with a wide circulation, extending into the Canadas and as far as Honolulu, in the Sandwich Islands.
KEOKUK-THE IOWA ARGUS AND LEE COUNTY COMMERCIAL ADVERTISER.
This was the title of the first newspaper published in Keokuk. The first number of this journal appeared in January, 1846, Democratic in politics, and edited by Col. William Pattee, afterward Auditor of State. It lived but a short time.
THE KEOKUK REGISTER.
In the fall of 1846, the brothers J. W. and R. B. Ogden arrived in Iowa, from Springfield, Ohio, where the younger of the two, R. B., now proprietor of a job-printing establishment in Keokuk, was a compositor in the Republican office, of that city. R. B. Ogden spent the first winter in Iowa City, the State capital, and, in the spring, came to Keokuk, where, by the advice of H. W. Starr, J. W. Grimes and others, leaders of the Whig party, the Register was established.
The prospectus was issued in April, 1847, and, on the 26th day of May following, the first number was issued, with a list of three subscribers, viz.,
535
HISTORY OF LEE COUNTY.
Samuel Van Fossen, L. B. Fleak and Ross B. Hughes. The new editors were young, and, having the guarantee of these three patrons that they should have a paid-up subscription of $1,000, were not discouraged. They went to work, . and, at the time of the sale of their office to Howell & Cowles, in 1849, the + names of 1,800 subscribers were on their books.
THE GATE CITY.
What is now the Gate City, was established in Keosauqua, Van Buren County, by J. B. Howell and James H. Cowles, in July, 1846, as the Des Moines Valley Whig. In March, 1849, the proprietors purchased the Regis- ter of the Ogden brothers, and consolidated the two offices at Keokuk, where the issue was known as the Des Moines Valley Whig and Keokuk Register. Its present name was adopted in 1855.
DAILY GATE CITY.
The Daily Gate City's first issue appeared March 3, 1854. For the first. year, the paper was published as the Keokuk Daily Whig. Then the name was changed to its present one. The Gate City was started as a five-column paper, and was conducted in that shape until May 9, 1855, when it was enlarged to six columns. On the 25th of July, 1856, another column was added, but the memorable panic of 1857 came on, and, notwithstanding it weathered the storm without skipping an issue, it was found necessary to reduce the size to six columns, which was done February 12, 1859. As soon, however, as the business interests of the country commenced to revive, the Gate City again enlarged its dimensions and made rapid strides forward. On the 16th of April, 1863, it was again increased to seven columns, which was still further increased to eight columns, its present size, July 17, 1866.
Among those who advertised in the first numbers of the Daily Gate City, and who are still in business in Keokuk, are Messrs. Comstock and Brothers, dealers in stoves ; S. and J. Hamill, wholesale grocers, now S. Hamill & Co .; C. Obertop; George Cabus, hair-dressing saloon ; Carter & Bros., sash-fac- tory, and I. N. Pearce, bookbinder.
The one man who has been constantly identified with the paper from the start, and continuously, of whom it has been the impersonation, and who has been more to it than anybody and everybody else, is J. B. Howell. From its first issue up to his election to the United States Senate in 1870, he was constantly and actively its editor, and it may be truthfully said that no jour- nalist in Iowa, during the early years of its history, had so potent an influence in impressing his character and ideas upon the affairs of the young common- wealth as Mr. Howell. His associates in the editorial work have been Mr. Cowles, a lawyer, who was connected with the Valley Whig before the daily was started, and who subsequently died in the South ; J. R. Briggs, who died in Washington City, in 1873; William Richards and S. M. Clark. The fol- lowing were, at the times named, associated with Mr. Howell in the proprietor- ship of the Gate City: August 31, 1854, J. R. Briggs bought an interest in the Whig office. William Richards became connected as proprietor some time between August 31, 1854, and January 1, 1855, there being no announcement of the exact time. December 19, 1860, J. B. Howell appears as the sole pro- prietor again, and continues until January 6, 1863, when J. W. Delaplain pur- chased an interest, and remained one of the proprietors until July, 1866. He had been connected with the office from the time of the issue of the first num- ber of the Weekly Whig, on the 31st of March, 1849, with the exception of about three years.
536
HISTORY OF LEE COUNTY.
In January, 1870, Mr. Sam M. Clark, who, for five years previously, had been connected with the paper as associate editor, became joint owner with Hon. J. B. Howell. Since that date, Mr. Clark has had exclusive control of the editorial department.
THE KEOKUK DISPATCH.
Prior to 1848, the Democratic party had no organ in Lee County, except the Lee County Democrat, published at Fort Madison. The Whigs had the Keokuk Register, which, under the editorial management of J. W. Ogden, had gained a large circulation in Southern Iowa, and something must be done to counteract its influence.
On the 20th of May, 1848, the first number of the Keokuk Dispatch was issued, under the proprietorship of John B. Russell and Reuben L. Doyle, and, being ably edited, the two parties were well matched as to newspaper represent- atives.
April 19, 1849, Russell sold his interest to Doyle, but remained for a time as associate editor. He died of cholera while thus employed. July 9, 1850, S. W. Halsey became part owner and the firm became Doyle & Halsey. In 1851, George Green bought Halsey's interest, and, April 15, T. B. Cuming, a brilliant writer, afterward Governor of Nebraska, took editorial charge. In July, 1852, T. B. Cuming and G. W. Armstrong became the proprie- tors.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.