Iowa Old Press

The Appanoose Times
Centerville, Appanoose Co., Iowa
June 16, 1881

The trial of Mrs. Eliza Garvin, for the alleged murder of her husband, commenced Monday, June 6th, Judge Burton prosiding. Monday was taken up in the selecting of the Jury, one-half being taken from the regular panel and the rest from by-standers. They were R.B. Wilkinson, J.O. Hiatt, Jas. A. McElderry, Jos. Cooksey, Moses Ferren, J.F. Irwin, Thos. Powers, J.S. Hughes, Josiah Gilbert, Thomas Bland, J.W. Hurlis and A. Hicks. The prosecution was conducted by R.B. Townsend, prosecuting attorney, assisted by J.A. Elliot and H.P. Richardson; and the defense by Miller and Goddard assisted by Jos. Kinkade. The case lasted Tuesday and Wednesday, going to the jury on Thursday morning; on Friday evening about 7 1/2 o'clock they brought in a verdict of not guilty. The verdict was quite a surprise to everybody, as the universal opinion was, that the prisoner was guilty. The jury on the case were men of weight and intelligence, and cannot be accused of an unfair verdict. A juryman is required to make his verdict according to the evidence at the trial, the failure to convict lies with the prosecution, not with the jury. The way to secure justice in such cases, is to elect a more competent Prosecuting Attorney.
[transcribers note: jury member James A. McElderry was my great-great grandfather]
---
We lately took a look at the old "Dickey" place under the management of M.M. Walden. He has taken out the old fences and replaced them with neat wire ones, trimed [sic] up the trees, cut down the high grass and weeds, and generally put it to rights till it looks like a different place. He contemplates laying it off in from one half to one acre lots and selling it out for residences, and there are several fine locations on the place, some of them covered with fruit trees. This is a corner of town which has been badly neglected, and we are glad to see it being straightened up.

W.T. Swearngin cut his knee while at work on a bridge on the C. R. I. & P., last Thursday. While it will lay him off a few days, it was not as serious as it might have been.

All the Times office lacked of having ice cold lemonade, last Tuesday, was just the sugar and lemons; the ice was on hand in abundance, furnished by Aronson Brothers.

A.R. Robb of Independence Tp. died at his home Sunday and was buried Monday. He was suddenly taken sick at church four weeks before his death with congestive chills.

The excursion from Albia last Sunday was not what might be called a grand success. On Saturday evening, at Albia, we are informed, it commenced raining and rained all night up till after day-light Sunday morning, thereby detering most of the excursionists from venturing out. However, the train arrived about ten o'clock, and brought about two hundred, principally young folks who were bent on having a good time rain or no rain. There were no exercises of any kind, yet quite a congregation gathered in the park where seats had been prepared, and all seemed to have a sociable time. We are sorry the full excursion did not come, as the day was fine and preparations had been made to welcome them.

Among the excursionists who came down from Albia last Sunday, we were glad to meet Mr. O.G. Nelson, editor of the UNION and Mr. A.F. Barnes, mail agent on the C. B. & Q.

Before buying a pump call and see the Challenge Force Pump, working in a 60 foot well at S.W. Lane's.

We are still selling the improved Singer Sewing Machine at $20.00. With each machine we furnish all the attachments free of cost. MERRITT BROS.

DEATH IN A MINE
Last Thursday afternoon the news was received here of the death of John Cline, and his brother-in-law named Williams, a boy about fifteen, from damps in an old abandoned coal mine. The exact particulars cannot be ascertained as there was no one else present, but it appears, that the mine was abandoned, and they had been taking out the lumber to use for other purposes. On Thursday forenoon they went with a team to haul away the lumber, and not coming back for dinner, Mrs. Cline went to the mine, and found the team, but no men. She sent for one of the neighbors supposing them to have gone down and been shut in by caving in, as the props had been taken out; the neighbors came and before going down to see, looked down the mouth of the mine and saw them both laying at the bottom, dead. The shaft was only about eighteen feet deep, and a light lowered to a certain depth burned freely, but when lowered a foot lower, went out instantly, showing that the line between good and foul air was clearly delined. From the postion in which they laid, it seemed that the boy had gone down the ladder and when he struck the foul air, had fell, and John in attempting to rescue the boy, was himself overcome by the damps. He was a steady, industrious man and a good citizen. He leaves a wife and five children.
--
A ride through the country last week showed the crops to be in good condition; the corn is a good stand and coming on nicely, and farmers are making good progress in slaying the weeds. Good crops are almost an assured fact, and all we want now to complete the business boom is the location to this city of the C. B. & Q.

Aronson Brothers will deliver ice during the season to any quarter of the city, everyday of the week.

Wilson & Root are now prepared to do all kinds of house and sign painting, graining, paper hanging and kalsomining, in the best and latest style. All work guaranteed. Shop over Wm. Hinkle's blacksmith shop. All persons who wish graining done please call at our shop and see sample.

Miss Georgiana Wood has returned home from Fort Des Moines, where she has been visiting at her brother's for the past six months.

[transcibed by P.E., May 2006]

-----

The Appanoose Times
Centerville, Appanoose County, Iowa
Thursday, June 23, 1881

THE STORM IN IOWA.

Reports from Various Points.
Loss of Life and Property by Wind and Hail.
The terrible storms of wind, rain and hail which visited many localities in the West on Saturday, June 11th and 12th, did their full work of destruction in Iowa. We give a summary of reports from different points as they come to us by telegram and through correspondents. In Des Moines several houses were struck by lightning on Sunday, including the Baptist Church on the West Side. The Baptist College building was also struck, and the chimney taken smooth from the building, the brick being scattered in all directions. Several residences in and about Des Moines were struck but fortunately there was no loss of life. In several townships in Polk county, especially Camp, Four Mile and Bloomfield, there was a great destruction of property and some loss of life. At Elm Grove, in Bloomfield township, everything was demolished in the track of the storm on Saturday. The cyclone was a funnel-shaped affair, and seemed composed of heavy black clouds which kept up a continual revolving and grinding together. A peculiarity of the cyclone was that it drew everything within its course and then carried it along to destruction. All the tress and litter left bore evidence of having been sucked in toward the center from the outside. The first known of the storm so far, was when it struck Mr. McGriff's orchard, taking it with it in its mad course, leaving only a wreck of limbs behind.

The tornado next struck Mr. Campfield's new residence and literally blew it to pieces and slightly injured his wife. This is the second house that Mr. Campfield has lost, the former one burned to the ground some time since. The house destroyed Saturday was consequently a new one.

The large barn of Mr. Hayes was the next to go, and was completely carried away, leaving the horses standing unhurt on the floor. A tenement house about a hundred yards in the field from the barn was also blown to shatters. The orchard on Mr. Hayes' farm was taken out by the roots, and even the grass torn out and carried off. A heavy wagon was picked up and blown away, the bed being found in one place and the wheels in another, some distance away. The ground in the train of the destructive demon now looks as though a mighty flood had passed over it, leaving only here and there an apple tree, a limb, or a tuft of grass. The total loss to Mr. Hayes will aggregate about $4,000.

In Camp township the cyclone came with special fury. A little boy of Mr. Walters came running in and called his father's attention to the black smoke, which he supposed to be the result of a fire. Mr. Walters went out doors and saw the fury coming. The storm appeared to be like a large funnel and seemed to whirl round and round from right to left and traveling with great velocity. The first thing he saw after looking at the storm for a moment was Lebon Stewart's house and stable flying in a thousand pieces in the air; then it rushed on about a quarter of a mile and lifted the roof off the barn of Brice Stewart, carried it 400 yards in the air, and scattered the shingles like feathers in the air, at the same time demolishing the frame and body of the barn, and killing a fine horse. When Mr. Stewart went out to the barn after the storm he found the mate of the dead horse standing trembling with fright, with his fore feet upon his dead companion.

The storm by this time had reached Mr. Walter's farm and twisted off a large hickory tree standing in its course, and carried it into the air and dropped it down, leaving it in splinters. When Mr. Walters saw the tree go, he became alarmed, and told his stepson, who stood beside him, that he was afraid the storm would ruin everything they had. At this stage Mrs. Walters called to them to come in, and just as he started, which he did immediately, he looked over his shoulder and saw his barn fly to pieces, before he could reach the door. Just before closing the door after him Mr. Walters took another glance and saw his smoke-house fly in the air. After closing the basement door-all the family had gone into the basement cellar- kitchen, three sides of which were completely surrounded by earth-an awful crash was heard, and the whole house went off over their heads. Mr. Walters' little babe was in his wife's arms, and something wrenched it from her and hurled it across the cellar- kitchen, where it fell on some brick and the teakettle, and knocked the wife senseless. Mr. Walters' three little girls and a son were standing at their mother's feet when found, the little boy being badly bruised on the head with a brick and sustained a sever cut on the forehead. One of the three girls escaped without injury, but the other two were severely cut and bruised about the head, one of them having a cut from the temple clear down over the eye, which had to be sewed up. Mr. Walters was not hurt much, the storm in some way throwing the safe against him, confining him closely in a corner. The whole affair occurred in less than half a minute. As soon as he could Mr. Walters pushed the safe off and stepped out and gazed on a perfect field of wreck with, as he puts, "nothing to prevent his looking all over the world," and the rain coming down in torrents. Mr. Walters then gathered up his dead babe and the injured little ones and with the help of his stepson, got his wife up and put them all in a corner of the cellar, and with a door that had fallen in on them, undertook to make a shelter over them to keep out the heaviest of the rain.

The rain continued for half an hour at a fearful rate, but at that time eased up a little and the homeless family climbed out of the cellar and repaired to a neighbor's, Mr. Peter McNevyns, who, although his barn, cribs and outhouses generally were torn away, was fortunate in escaping with his house. Mr. Walters had turned his mules out in the pasture immediately after quitting work, so that they escaped injury when the barn went down. The family were just ready for supper when the storm came up, the table all set, etc. Mr. Walters says the only thing he has since been able to find of his supper or table, was a pepper box, which he found in Mr. McNevyn's field some forty yards away. Mr. Walters after looking over the premises after the storm found that everything he had in the world was destroyed, except his mules, a wagon without a box, and $1.40 the money he had in his pocket.

At Norwalk, Linn township, Warren county, the storm commencing Saturday evening at 6 o'clock, was the worst in the history of the neighborhood. Mr. Burkhead's splendid residence near Linn Grove was completely demolished. His barn also was utterly torn to pieces. The family all escaped. The house of Mr. John Keller was considerably wrecked but not torn down. Just before the storm came up Mr. Keller's little girl went out in the field after the cows, Mr. Keller seeing the approaching storm ran out after her. Just as he reached her the storm broke upon them and snatched the little girl from her feet and drew her up in the air whirling her round like a spinning top. The father reached for her just in time to catch hold of her feet and pulled her down in his arms. He then laid down on the earth and held fast to a post till the storm had gone by.

The Widow Barkhead a little farther northeast, lost her barn.

Mr. Lamb, of the same neighborhood, also had his barn completely destroyed.

The storm in its progress came next upon the barn of Mr. Lockridge, which it unroofed.

When the funnel fury crossed North river, it was seen to draw water from the stream over a hundred feet into the air, and also tore up the planks in the bridge at that point. When it got as far as Salyver's coal shaft it tore the company's scales out of the ground.

The storm of Sunday began about 2 o'clock at Norwalk, both hail and rain coming down at a fearful rate, tearing up fences, orchards and out-houses. The fruit trees and crops are all ruined in that locality. There is not a hill of corn to be seen for miles. The fruit trees that are not torn down and out of the ground are so beaten by the hail that the bark comes off at a touch. Mr. Adam Stiftner had 30 acres of fine corn, knee high, which he had plowed three times, which the storm removed so successfully that there is not a hill to be seen in the whole field.

In Elkhart township, Polk county, damages appears to have been principally by hail. H. G. Iceeminger lost 74 window lights in two houses; Jacob Byers lost 57 lights; George W. Iseminger lost 65 lights. The latter thinks the damage in Elkhart will reach $40,000 at least. Not a house escaped damage to windows, while the roofs of many are split and torn into kindling strips. The fruit is badly damaged, especially small fruit, not a sign of a garden being left in the vicinity. The prospect seems now there will be no return from the grain planted, as it is all pounded into the ground. Where the trees in orchards elsewhere were not leveled to the ground, they were literally skinned of their bark and not a leaf left.

H. E. Martin, of Grant township, Polk county reports that he and D. W. Prentice saw the cyclones which did so much damage Saturday when it formed. It appeared to be a funnel shaped cloud, rather small at first, increasing in time as it passed nearly in an easterly direction as long as visible from their position. It struck the ground first just about on the line of Grant and Four Mile townships. It struck and demolished the house of Douglas Johnson, killing one child; also demolished Henry Lamb's house, the family all escaping. The next building in its track being John Crew's barn, which was torn to pieces. It next struck Oliver Erickson's house, completely demolishing it, killing Mr. Erickson and seriously injuring two of his children.

A hail and wind storm passed through Grant, Thompson, and Beaver townships, Guthrie county, Sunday, making fearful havoc in its course. Isaac Williams' house, three miles north of Casey, was torn from it foundation and scattered in fragments for a half mile around. It was a fine residence, just completed last summer. The furniture was entirely destroyed. Great damage was done to crops and outbuildings. Orchards and groves are entirely stripped of their foliage. Roger Williams, who had opened a new farm this spring in Grant township, is left without anything but the bare land; his new house, and other outbuildings are all swept away. Even his money, which was in the house, is gone with the rest. No lives reported lost as yet. Alex. Stone's house was torn from its foundation. John P. Main's barn, said to be the largest barn in the State, was torn from its foundation.

The same story of destruction comes from all points throughout the range of this series of storms, and a number of families are reported homeless. Herman Rathburn and a Mr. Straw were killed by lightning in Audubon county on the open prairie on Saturday. Two lives were lost in Allen township, Polk county; Mr. Erickson was killed, and his wife it was thought will not recover. The baby of Mr. Walters, as above stated, was killed.

A telegram from Council Bluffs says: A terrific hail and wind storm visited portions of Western Iowa on Sunday afternoon, doing great damage to property of every kind. Special dispatches to the Nonparell from Avoca, Shelby and other points along the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific railroad state that the storm was one of the most severe of the kind that ever visited those sections, and that windows were broken by the thousand panes, while light articles outside were broken to pieces. Hail stones as large as walnuts were picked up at various places.

The Hawkeye's special from Rome, Iowa, says there was a violent storm at that place Sunday evening. It tore off half the roof of Polough's brick store and blew down Small's two-story frame, and also a barn belonging to Mr. Wise, two and a half miles north of the station. The storm was severe, and probably other property is more or less injured.

The above account of the great storm made up chiefly from special telegrams to the State Register, of June 14th, will afford only an imperfect idea of the extent and destructiveness, caused by the blowing down of buildings, trees, fences, and crops, and killing of stock and poultry. It was certainly the most wide-spread disaster of the kind that has ever visited the State, and the wonder is that greater loss is not reported

[transcibed by P.E., November 2006]

Iowa Old Press Home
Appanoose County