Burlington Weekly Hawk-Eye
Burlington, Des Moines co. Iowa
Thursday morning, February 10, 1876

Iowa Items
-Pumpkin festivals are all the rage in Council Bluffs.  Some of the
pumpkins are made into pies and things, and the others are worn
under the hats of the "best young men."
-A very large cave has been discovered near Fairfield.  It has been
explored a distance of two miles and contains a large stream of
water, heaps of Indian relics, and a great many things that it won't
do to believe in just yet.
-Harvey Cummings, of Poweshiek county, was moving a barn with a team
of sixteen horses, when they took fright and run away with the
barn.  They galloped across a forty acre field, but couldn't climb a
long hill with their heavy freight, and came to a halt.  We have not
yet received the papers in this case, and judgement will be reserved
until they have been files with the clerk.
-Miss Hudson is county superintendent of schools in Clinton county. 
She attends to her business like a little man; in fact, a great deal
better than most men we have known.  A few weeks ago, when the roads
were too rough for a buggy, she went through one township on foot,
grading the schools in every district, and it hasn't been cold
enough or muddy enough, this winter, to keep her from her duty. 
Miss Hudson deserves a third term.

Aspen Grove - Some Scraps from a Talk with an Undertaker and the
Secretary of the Association
With the completion of the North Hill street railway this handsome
cemetery, being brought within easy reach of all our citizens, will
come more prominently into public notice than ever before, and it
promises to become the favorite resort of all Burlingtonians who
have a leisure hour which they wish to pass in a quiet retreat,
removed from the busy bustle of down-town associations.  It is a
truly beautiful place, naturally beautiful, and may be greatly
improved by the hand of art, and we hope the day is not far distant
when the association will be able to go on and beautify the grounds
in the manner their location and prominence deserves.  The Aspen
Grove Cemetery association was first organized January 3, 1844, at
which time ten acres of ground was purchased, and which was soon
enlarged by the purchase of eight acres additional.  In 1866 there
was another purchase of thirty-two acres, which constitutes the new
portion of the cemetery where so many lots are now being sold,
including the three acres of potter's field, the cemetery now
comprises a total of fifty-three acres.  The association still has
an indebtedness of about $6,200, wich, with the past average of
income, it will require about five years to remove.  When the
society has paid off its indebtedness it will still have about
twenty-five acres unsold, and the proceeds of this will probably be
largely devoted to beautifying the grounds.  It is not at all likely
that the cemetery will ever be enlarged beyond its present limits,
as the city is rapidly building out in that direction, and property
will soon be so advanced in value as to make it an undesirable
investment for cemetery purposes, but the presnt grounds are large
enough for all demands for years to come, and it should be the
interest of every resident of Burllington to see that they are
properly cared for, and kept in a condition in accordance with that
respect for our departed ones which is one of the most touching
attributes of humanity.  The present officers of the society are as
follows:  President, Charles Starker; secretary, Wm. Garrett;
treasurer, Frederick Schramm; trustees, Lyman Cook, J.G. Foote, Dr.
H. Bailey, S.E. Taylor, O.H. Schenck and John Ghnan.  It is
courious, in looking back over the statistics of interments, to find
that there is no regularity in the number of deaths in the city, and
no apparent increase in the mortality, notwithstanding the rapid
growth of the place and the large excess of population over the
number of a few years ago.  For instance, commencing in 1867, we
find 238 interments; in 1868, 187; in 1869, 214; in 1870, 238; in
1871, 186; in 1872, 242; in 1873, 384; 1874, 244; in 1875, 240.  It
will be observed that in 1875 the interments were only two in excess
of those of 1867, eight years ago, since which time the city has
undoubtedly gained a population of nearly, if not quite, ten
thousand inhabitants.  The greatest number of interments in any year
since the association was organized, was in 1873, when there were
three hundred and eighty-four, and excess of about one hundred and
forty over the years immediately preceding and following it.  This
was the year when cholera or cholera morbus was so prevalent, and a
large proportion of this increase is attributable to those
diseases.  From Mr. Prugh, the undertaker, we learn that during the
past year he has had charge of two hundred and thirty-six
interments, and a glance through his record, showing nationalities
and ages, will be of interest.  Of the two hundred and thirty-six
deceased, one hundred and eighty-three were Americans, thirty-four
were Germans, inne were Swedes, eight were English, one was Scotch
and one was born on the Atlantic ocean.  the ages were about as
follows:  One aged 83 years, three 80 years, eleven 70 years, ten 60
years, nine 50 years, fourteen 40 years, nineteen 30 years, twenty
20 years, four 15 years, twelve 10 years, seven from 5 to 10 years,
six 4 years, eight 2 years, twenty-one 1 year, four 9 months,
seventeen 6 to 8 months, seventeen 1 to 6 months, fifteen under 1
month, and twenty-nine were still-born.  Eighty of the interments of
last year were in Potter's field.  One hundred and thirty of all the
deceased were born in Burlington, which out of a total of 236 was a
very large per centage of native born for a western city.


The Skirmish Line.
But a few days ago some of the men of Burlington, who had carried
muskets under the stars and stripes during the civil was, framed the
paper which we publish below, and presented it to such soldiers and
sailors of the late war as they met,  for their signatures.  With
very few exceptions the paper was readily signed, and although there
are a great many who would glady have attached their names to the
paper, had the opportunity been presented them, it shows, even in
its present incomplete condition, the prevailing sentiment among the
soldiers in regard to granting amnesty to a man who rendered himself
infamous by the sanction which he gave to the fiendish atrocities
perpetrated upon the union prisoners in the prison pens of the
south.  The following is the paper, which bears the signatures of
soldiers from Iowa, maine, Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin,
Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and men from the regular army, and the
navy, transportation service, and Mississippi flotilla, representing
every branch of the service, infantry, cavalry, artillery, engineer
corps, staff duty, etc:
"We, the undersigned soldiers and sailors who participated in the
actions of our army and navy during the late rebellion, in
sustaining our country against the insidious hand of treason and
secession, and after the trials and dangers incident to the terrible
strife lasting from the firing upon our national emblem in 1861, to
the surrendering of the rebel army in 1865, have been disposed to
consider those dark days of our national existence among the things
of the past, and, believing in charity and mercy, have extended to
the rebels and those in the rebel army our recognition of friendship
and respect.  We have also recognized with satisfaction in the
actions of the congress of the United States the same feeling in
extending amnesty to a large number of the late leaders of the
rebellion.  But in the actions of the present national house of
representatives we do recognize a violation of the sacred principles
for which we fought, in the efforts by the majority to extend
amnesty to Jefferson Davis, whom we consider the arch traitor and
rebel, who was the head center of the terrible strife of bloodshed,
suffering and death.  We also hold him responsible for the horrors
of Andersonville, Libby, Saulsbury, and other prison pens of the
south, where our comrades were exposed to cruelties unprecedented in
the annals of war, by any civilized nation.  We also, as the ex-
soldiers and sailors, do hereby condemn the violent and treacherous
speech of Ben Hill, of Georgia, and others in their efforts to
excuse the outrages of the confederate government at Andersonville,
and as some of the undersigned can testify, from personal experience
in that "hell on earth" that the facts presented by Hon. James G.
Blaine were not overdrawn but only faintly portray the horrors of
that prison.  We therefore desire to extend to Hon. J.G. Blaine our
warmest support in his noble defence of our comrades who died while
incarcerated there, and the living who fortunately were exchanged or
escaped.  We also recognize in him a formidable barrier of
resistance against such violent rebels as Ben Hill and his
associates, and, as the defenders of our country, stand ready to
sustain him in his noble opposition of the amnesty bill now before
the house, which includes Jefferson Davis in its benefits.
[signed]
David Ramsey, 6th Iowa
Wm Hunnell, 11th Iowa volunteers
Lewis G. Walter, 25th Iowa
Wm Rothe, 17th Missouri volunteer infantry
H.J. Wakerly, 6th New York cavalry
William McLean, 140th Illinois
John C. Bonnell, 19th Iowa
Robert Spencer, 63rd Indiana
W.H. Hopkins, 4th Iowa cavalry
Tunis A. Bently, 11th United States infantry
A.A. Perkins, 25th Iowa infantry
C.W. Williamson, 15th Ohio volunteer infantry
Alex. Q. Smith, 5th Wisconsin infantry
W.S. Darling, 42th Iowa
L.S. Tyler, H Company, 15th Iowa veteran infantry
W.F. McCash, 1st Missouri engineers
E.M.C. Mansfield, 2d New York militia regulars
J.S. Halliday, 6th Iowa infantry
Wm. Boyer, company F, 15th Iowa volunteer infantry
I.C. Vance, company C, 8 Iowa volunteers
Babian Brydolf, 6th and 25th Iowa
Philip M. Crapo, 3d Massachusetts infantry
George N. Penne, 26th Iowa
J.M. Parham, 7th Iowa
E.P. Kyle, 4th Iowa cavalry
A.A. Bailey, company F, 2d Iowa infantry
Carlton Dryden, 10th Iowa
J.C. Mott, 25th Iowa infantry
Wm H. Wardan, 57th regiment Illinois
C.W. Limberger
L. Swam
H.H. Gilman
J.L. Kelly, 4th Iowa
George W. Benham, 27th Massachusetts
H.B. Scott, Lieutenant-Colonel 4th Massachusetts cavalry
Fred L. Wells, company B, 4th Iowa cavalry
Cowden A. McChesney, company A, 3d regiment Missouri cavalry
volunteers
J.C.M. Kell, 73d Ohio veteran volunteer infantry
I.M. Christy, company I, 15th Iowa
James A. Guest, company C, 160th New York volunteers
R.C. Walker, assistant surgeon, 105th colored, United States army
W.G. Cummings, Lieutenant-Colonel, 1st Vermont cavalry
J.L. Irwin, company C, 122d Illinois infantry
Wm Parr, company F, 3d Iowa cavalry
M. Ronaldson, company C, 1st Iowa cavalry
Wm Hillhouse, transporting service, United States navy
W.W. Simons, 16th Iowa infantry
W.B. Smith, 1st Iowa cavalry
I.A. Smith, company B, 25th Iowa regulars
W.T. McMaken, 14th infantry
B. Shugas, 209th regular Pennsylvania volunteers
Z.R. Fix, 19th Ohio veteran infantry
Nicholas Smith, 10th Illinois
Wm Horner, Major 17th Iowa
E.C. Bangs
D.T. Henderson, 4th Iowa cavalry
James M. Lawrence, 126th Ohio
John Troxel, 93d Pennsylvania
John S. Wertz, 14th Iowa
H.A. Langley, 46th Wisconsin volunteers
A.H. Stutsman, 1st Iowa cavalry
John A.Scherer, 10th New York cavalry
R.E. Doran, 1st Kansas battery
E.S. Huston, 39th Iowa
Jacob Warner, 21st Missouri infantry
Wm Atchinson, 37th Illinois infantry
W.F. Brandeby, 1st Iowa infantry
W.T. Virgin, 1st Iowa infantry; 4th Iowa cavalry
W.J. Donahue, Knap's battery
L.C. Mudge, 24th Iowa infantry
R.R. Randall, 73d Illinois
W.A. Clark, 1st Iowa cavalry
Robert J. Burdette, 47th Illinois infantry
E.C. Blackmar, 31st Iowa infantry
In extending charity to the leading rebels congress forget to be
just to those who stood by the nation.  No good will come of it,
J.C. Stone
Richard A. Taylor, 1st Lieutenant, 139th Ohio veteran volunteer
infantry
R.B. Junk, Mississippi Flotilla
O.H. Denise, 60th Ohio vollunteer infantry.
George Kant, company B, 13th United States infantry
John L. Pierson, company G, 25th Iowa
W.R. Sellar, Lieutenant-Colonel 12th United States colored infantry
Wm H. Bunge, company B, engineer regulars, and on the west
John A. Burge, company E, 25th regular infantry
George Stewart, company D, 114th regular Illinois volunteers
Mort Haight, Mississippi Flotilla
J.W. Lym, company G, 13th Indiana volunteers
S.T. Bryan
T.R. Acres, 25th Iowa
W.B. Ryder, Captain, staff of Major-General Weitzel
C.Y. Wheeler, 35th Ohio volunteer infantry and 129th Ohio volunteer
infantry
J. Callaton, acting engineer United States Navy
Andrew F. Wall, 1st Iowa
William Gilbert, 25th Iowa
D.F. Sinclair, 156th United States volunteers
Orson Young, 37th Iowa volunteers
J.M. Martin, 15th regiment Maine veteral volunteers
J.L. Lemberger, 45th regiment Iowa volunteers
Samuel Peabody, 18th Maine infantry.

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[transcribed by S. F., Jan 2006]