Lewis Independent
Lewis, Cass County, Iowa
July 11, 1883

LEWIS CREAMERY
The Lewis creamery has grown into an embryo cheese factory and is making cheese every day. We paid a visit to the establishment the other day, and took a drink of sparkling water from the splendid spring which abundantly supplies the factory. The building and everything else connected with it is on a small scale, but neat and convenient. Mr. CUMMINGS was raised in the business and knows all about it, and is putting in the works himself, intending to enlarge as the business grows. Mr. CUTTING is making no blow about the business but is working away on the safe plan, intending to let the people gradually learn that there is more money in selling milk than in plowing eternally for corn. Cass County soil is good, that is certain, but it will not last always, besides there is but little clear money and any amount of hard labor in this corn and hog business, while in the dairy business the land is rested, and so is the owner. It seems to require time to get farmers out of the old rut, but they have got to come. This county will be full of cheese factories before ten years. As the relative profits of selling cream and milk, there is more than twice as much money in the latter. That is, to sell the milk at the factory by the hundred is more than twice as profitable as selling milk. If anyone doubts this we will give them names and figures to prove it.

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Lewis Independent
Lewis, Cass County, Iowa
July 25, 1883

LOCALS

Chas. NEIMEYER and Miss Verdie MCDERMOTT of Atlantic were married a week ago today.

W. B. TEMPLE of Atlantic is off on a trip to the Pacific coast. He will be absent several weeks.

Mrs. W.A. KENNEDY has been on the sick list for several weeks though able to go about the house.

Miss DOREY and Mrs. SHAW of Atlantic, drove to Lewis one day last week, and spent the day with friends.

Mr. M. WEBER and brother of Van Wert, Ohio, are visiting the DESBROW's. They are nephews of S. DISBROW.

Mr. John ROTHMAN of Shenandoah returned home last Monday after a few days' visit with his children in Lewis.

Mrs. MANVILLE of Atlantic, wife of the engineer at the water works at that place, visited with the family of M. WOODS last week.

V.M. BRADSHAW is at work at Creston, Iowa. Later, he has finished his job and is home again.

Miss Mamie HAINES, daughter of Senator HAINES,of Grinnell, is here on a visit to her relatives, The WORHTHINTON's, HARRIS', and others

A two weeks visit at the old homestead by Mrs. SHADE, was terminated by her husband coming down, and taking her home in a carriage last Saturday.

Albert and Jacob SMITH of Neola, spent the Sabbath at the country home of their uncle, Wilson SMITH, at Iranistan. Mr. STEELE, a friend accompanied them.

Elmer CUTTING has accepted a position in a large clothing store at Harlan, and let last week to begin business. This is his old trade and he likes it better than farming.

Mrs. A.H. Gifford has just returned from a visit to her daughter at Milford. She was absent from home an entire week, which is a very rare occurrence with Mrs. GIFFORD>

Dell DISBROW was in town over Sunday. He turned Prof. HEMPHILL off about two weeks ago, and hired himself out as clerk in a Carson grocery store, whither he returned last Monday.

A prosperous farmer from Illinois, Mr. WILSON by name, was in Lewis last week seeding a location. He seemed well pleased with the country, and Lewis in particular. He will return with his family.

Mr. Romeo LAWRENCE of Atlantic, visited their numerous old friends in Lewis last week. Mr. LAWRENCE is the trusted clerk in STRATFORD & HAWKS' dry good house, and it is worthy of mention when he takes a lay off.

Mrs. W.W. WOLF of Griswold, came to Lewis last Saturday, where her two boys had been for some time. Her husband followed with a livery rig on Sunday, and the family returned home together the same evening.

DIED
At his residence three miles southwest of Lewis, on Monday, July 22, W.M. FERGUSON, in the 45th year of his age.
The deceased was born and raised in the State of New York, moved to Illinois, where he married a daughter of John MURNAN. He has been a resident of Cass County for the past nine years, and has been quite successful in business matters. He leaves a wife and three children in comfortable circumstances. The burial took place at the Lewis cemetery yesterday at 11 a.m.

W.R. SAUNDERS and family started last Wednesday for New Tacoma, W.T., where they expect to establish a home. They went via San Francisco, where they will stop a short time with a relative. New Tacoma is on Puget Sound, one of the finest harbors in the world, and the prospective terminus of the North Pacific railway. It is a thriving city of 4000 inhabitants, situated in the midst of the finest coal and lumber district in America. Newspaper correspondents and editors, writing in the interests of the North Pacific and its tributary county, claim that New Tacoma is destined to be the enter port and outport of our trade with China and Japan, a commercial prestige hitherto enjoyed by Portland, Oregon. The latter city is situated about 100 miles up the Columbia River, and is not at all times approachable by large vessels, on account of a well known bar some distance from the mouth of the river. The entrance to Puget Sound is 13 miles wide, with a depth of water of 600 feet, so tha!
t the largest vessels may enter and depart with fathoms of water under their keels, and is 600 miles nearer Japan than is Portland. These are some of the reasons why it is claimed New Tacoma is bound to become a large city of vast commercial importance.

SUICIDE - One of Cass County's Best Citizens Deliberately Hangs Himself - A Peculiarly Sad Case
The citizens of Noble Township were shocked last Thursday morning by the news that Peter ACKERMAN, one of their most respected neighbors, had been found hanging by the neck near his dwelling dead. He had hanged himself in his daughter's swing in his own dooryard. He had arisen from bed on the fatal morning at about his usual hour, six o'clock, and an hour later his only daughter, a young miss of 13 years, went out to call her father to breakfast. Seeing him in the grove, she returned and reported that her father was sitting under the trees in the grove. The mother went out and found him dead, as stated above. The body was in a recumbent position, almost a sitting posture, the feet and limbs resting on the ground, showing that he could easily have saved his life by rising to his feet. The distracted mother and daughter got the body in the house and notified Henry ACKERMAN and other neighbors, who soon arrived. Coroner B.A. WILDER of Atlantic was notified, and an inquest held. The verdict was in accordance with the above facts. The wife, Mrs. Margaret ACKERMAN, and the daughter, Gusta, were the only witnesses examined. The burial took place the next day at the old cemetery in Noble Township. The case is a peculiarly sad one from the fact that the act was committed on account of an imaginary disgrace, growing out of a business transaction. Several months ago Mr. ACKERMAN purchased a lot of cattle in Missouri, and shortly after arriving home with them, a couple of men from Missouri appeared at his farm, claiming two of the steers had been stolen. Mr. ACKERMAN assured the men he had bought the cattle and paid cash for them, which of course is a fact, but the men demanded a big price for the cattle and pay for their trouble in hunting them up. This Mr. ACKERMAN indignantly refused to comply with. The men returned home and had him arrested on a charge of grand larceny, and taken to Missouri to answer to the same. We are not informed as to how far the case had progressed, but the above is sufficient to show the nature of the trouble. A thoroughly honest, upright man, extremely sensitive when his honor was questioned, the thought that he had actually been arrested for stealing, so preyed upon his mind as to destroy his reason and cause him to take his own life. It is said he never even confided his trouble to his wife, preferring to suffer along rather than let her know of his fancied disgrace. We understand he was somewhat embarrassed financially, but believe his bereaved wife and daughter are left in good circumstances, and that his money matters had nothing to do with his rash act. At the inquest Mrs. ACKERMAN stated that her husband had been unwell for five or six weeks, and seemed morose and downcast. They had been married 16 years.

DEATH OF MELANOTHON STANLEY
A brief telegram from Jordan, Minn., near Minneapolis, was handed D. STANLEY last Monday morning which read--
Mr. and Mrs. STANLEY: pray for me, I cannot live two hours. Signed M. STANLEY. Later in the day another dispatch came announcing the death of M. STANLEY, and asking what should be down with the body. Mr. STANLEY instructed the sender of the message to ship the remains to Lewis. Yesterday morning he received another dispatch saying the body had left Jordan at 8 p.m. the previous evening, and that they would send particulars of his death the next day. The news of course came like a shock to the parents, who had no knowledge of their son's sickness or accident as the case may be, and the long suspense of waiting for particulars added to their grief. Yesterday evening a dispatch was received informing the family that the body would be in Atlantic at 9:30 p.m. A team was sent up which returned with the corpse. The coroner had written on the box, "killed by a train." A later dispatch threw a little more light on the manner of his death by stating that the unfortunate young man had lost his life in attempting to board a train, in rapid motion on Sunday. The funeral took place at 10 o'clock this morning, and the remains are laid in the Lewis Cemetery. The stricken family have the sincere sympathies of all.

HARDY HUNG - A Dead Desperado
A mob of armed men silently but firmly approached the Harlan jail yesterday morning about 2 o'clock, secured the prison, Wm. HARDY, who, almost by miracle, escaped the vengeance of the mob at Elkhorn grove, and hung, shot, and drowned him. He is dead. His neck was broken by the fall, twelve shots were fired into him, and his body was thrown into the river. The mob advanced from the direction of Marne, and did their work without detection. This is no more than has been expected.

DEATH OF "GENERAL TOM THUMB" - Middleboro, Mass. July 16
General Tom THUMB died of apoplexy Sunday morning. He had been slightly indisposed for several days, but no serious results were anticipated. He leaves a widow, who had been on the stage with him since 1863. He was forty-six years of age. His correct name was Charles STRATTON, and he came to the notice of P.T. BARNUM in November 1842, and the showman describes him as being under two feet high, weighing less than sixteen pounds, beautifully formed; a blonde, with ruby cheeks and mirthful eyes. BARNUM introduced STRATTON to the public on December 8, 1842, by the name that afterward preceded him around the world-General Tom THUMB. He paid the little midget $3 a week, with expenses for himself and his mother for four weeks. Then, he was engaged for twelve months at $7 a week, but long before this term expired Mr. BARNUM paid him $25 a week. In January, 1846, Tom THUMB, now getting fifty dollars a week and expenses, set sail with BARNUM for Europe in the Yorkshire, a sailing ship. The little General proved a decided hit in England, France and Germany, and the statement never afterward omitted from the show bills, that he was exhibited "before crowned heads" was literally true. In the autumn, Tom THUMB returned with his manager, who was then the proprietor of the museum that bore his name, and early the next year the mite returned again to Europe. When, three months later, he again came back to America, his value as a curiosity had grown greater than before. BARNUM took in $5, 504.91 in twelve days with him in Philadelphia, and $976.98 in one day in Providence.

In 1857, BARNUM took Tom THUMB and Cordelia HOWARD, a child who was famous as Little Eva in "Uncle Tom's Cabin," to Europe, and in 1862, he engaged Lavinia and Minnie WARREN, two tiny sisters, to the former of whom Tom THUMB lost his heart at the showman's home in Bridgeport. At the old museum, where the Herald building now stands, the receipts (principally because of the presence of the noted little man and the WARREN's) were frequently $3,000 a day. The fact that Tom THUMB and Lavinia WARREN were to be married redoubled the popular interest in them, and BARNUM offered then $15,000 to postpone the wedding a month. This was indignantly refused. The showman resisted the temptation to have their wedding viewed by the public at so much a seat, though he said he could have made $25,000 by exhibiting the ceremony in the Academy of Music. They were married in Grace Church, and held a reception afterward in the Metropolitan Hotel. This was in 1862.