Iowa
Old Press
The West Union Gazette
West Union, Fayette co. Iowa
June 1, 1877
Dead - R.W. Ingersoll, a brother of H.J., of the
West Union House, died on Sunday. He was a young man, but all his
life was subject to epilepsy, which we believe was the immediate
cause of his death.
Local and Other Items
Lettuce have peas.
Cyrus Gurdy is building a new house in the east part of town.
Road supervisor Howe is on the roads daily with big gangs.
A couple of six-foot mirrors adorn the barber shop of Foster
Bros.
Wm. Cox's two-story addition is enclosed and makes a fine
appearance.
H. Rush is laying the foundation for a large house to be
completed the coming summer.
T.W. Sears has built a good addition to his house; and A.J.
Archer has followed suit.
Mike Rogers came in contact with a mule's hoof the other day, and
Mike got the worst of it.
T. Rubyor has for sale a large number of nice pigs.
Mrs. Fred Chapman and son returned Thursday of last week form
California, gladly welcomed.
It is at Geo. Gilbert's where reigns joy, in the shape of a new
girl.
J.W. Rogers & Son have moved their law office to those fine
rooms over Owens & Davis' store.
Dr. C. Bryant, of Eden, was in here Monday and entertained us
with his views on materia medica and things in general.
"Than" Smith, who twenty years ago used to keep a
hardware store in the building now occupied by C.T. Nefzger, is
in the city visiting.
Mr. and Mrs. W.A. Preston, of Elkader, came up Saturday for a
visit at I.W. Waterbury's, gladly greeted by their hosts of
friends here.
Rev. M.H. Perry preached before the Association in Clermont on
Sunday morning last and returned, holding services in his own
church in the evening.
E.L. Westfall, Esq., one of Putnam's solid men, summoned here as
a juror, took the opportunity to make us a call.
By the running of his team, while on his way home from town a few
evenings ago, Geo. Belchner and a lady riding with him, were
thrown from the wagon and quite severely injured.
Mrs. J.F. Clark one day last week lost a pocketbook containing
over twenty dollars. It was picked up by a little son of Ben
Finch, and in due time reached its owner.
Thos. Henderson, a son of James Henderson, formerly a resident of
Clermont twp., met with a severe accident a few days ago, at
Cherokee. A runaway team threw him beneath a heavy roller,
dragging him some distance an injuring him so severely that it is
feared he cannot recover.
Fayette Correspondence
Last week Friday, the advent of an infant daughter to the
pleasant home circle of Mr. and Mrs. J.J. Caward, was an event of
great joy to the fond parents, who are congratulated by many warm
friends on its reception, expressive only of regrets that this
one was not a boy.
Friday we had the pleasure of making the acquaintance of little
Lizzie Smith, first pet baby of John Smith, of Smithfield
township. A prouder father is seldom seen and a prettier baby,
never.
Through the week the brothers Lyman have been washing sheep,
seven hundred of these innocents having been through a bathing
process in the river below us.
A son of Edwin Cobb, Esq., of Independence is a guest in town at
the house of S.E. Cobb, his uncle.
Brush Creek Brieflets
Some excitement over a wild animal seen in the woods, supposed by
some to be a bear, others thinking it is a panther. It killed a
calf belonging to Jap Crawford.
May 25th, the wife of Truman H. Osborn was buried, leaving three
little girls to mourn a mother's loss.
Mrs. Ally Rawson is very poorly.
Mr. Z.G. Allen dropped a drag on his foot, one tooth making an
ugly wound.
May 27th, another of Martin Leonhart's children is dead.
May 30th, the infant daughter of W.J. McAlpin died last night.
Dick Arthur Again
When Dick Arthur is around there is always an
opportunity for a sensation. If Dick has one redeeming quality it
lies in the sole pleasure derived by those who are fond of
writing and reading criminal literature.
His career has been one of crime and his efforts, legal and
pedal, to escape the penalties. So long as he had money to fee
lawyers, he could boast with impunity, and threaten to tear the
last honest hair from his head, if he thought there was one left.
While in prison in New York, some dozen years ago, he feigned
madness so completely that all were deceived, and thus effected a
release before the expiration of his sentence. This developed his
capabilities and increased his confidence. He returned here to go
to greater lengths in crime and deviltry, and even during
temporary confinements awaiting trial and release on
technicalities, it is currently believed he managed, by the aid
of confederates, to continue the business of forgery and keep
himself well in funds. But finally he was reduced to common-place
stealing and burglary, was reckless enough to be caught at it
when his exchequer was law, and he was held in close confinement.
After he had developed a plan for escape from the jail here,
which resulted in the burning of the court house, he was conveyed
to Elkader for safe keeping, and there organized an attempt to
escape that came nearly being successful. He was finally
sentenced to the penitentiary for ten years.
He had not forgotten his New York experience, and from the time
the walls of Ft. Madison closed around him he became devout. The
piety dodge seemed to him to promise greater rewards than
insanity, and he became pious. He preached, prayed and sang, and
was in every outward respect extremely well behaved. He obeyed
implicitly the rules of the prison. After following this course
for two years, winning the respect of his keepers, and convincing
many a good soul who visited him that he had actually reformed,
he began the next step in the program, and soon a petition for
pardon was in circulation, his mother appealing for signatures as
only a mother can appeal in behalf of a child.
The paper was signed, in many cases by men who ought to have
known better, and it went to the Governor in the hands of the
mother, whose please were irresistible, and Dick came out on a
sort of ticket-of-leave, to be good during good behavior. His
mother had been living at Ft. Atkinson, and thither he repaired,
continuing his pious streak for quite a time, subsequently taking
up law, in which he was well qualified, both from experience and
study.
From this he gradually fell back into the old ruts, and the
Governor being informed officially that Dick had broken the
conditions of his pardon, remanded him to the penitentiary.
Finding a judge who construed the law to mean that a pardon
conditionally could only be a pardon conclusively, Dick hurried
back here to chuckle over his escape; and much as the good people
here might regret it, they could only add bolts to their doors,
and submit.
But his career in Clayton county was not forgotten, and having
been indicted there for the attempted escapade, a warrant was
placed in the hands of the sheriff, he was arrested at Waucoma
and hurried into durance vile one more. His plea for permission
to procure bail was listened to, and with a deputy sheriff he
returned here Saturday.
He appeared to have no inclination to escape, and gradually the
officer weakened in his watchfulness. Monday afternoon he
suddenly disappeared, and a thorough search about town soon made
it apparent that the "cuss" had taken leg bail. Sheriff
Welsh started on the west road in pursuit, and about four miles
out struck his trail, soon overtaking him, returning here before
dark.
Dick didn't get his bail, and now will have an opportunity to eat
hash at the public expense until the next term of court, in
September, in Clayton county. In the meanwhile we confidently
expect that the Supreme Court will reverse the decision of Judge
Newman, and return Dick to the Penitentiary to serve out the
remaining six years of his sentence, in which event he will not
be likely to disturb this region for a while.
[transcribed by S.F., September 2014]