Iowa Old Press
THE FREMONT COUNTY SUN
Sidney, Fremont co. Iowa
June 6, 1901
SCHOOL CLOSE. Graduating Exercises Mark the Close of Another
Year's School Work."--The consummation of another year's
work in the public schools of Sidney was witnessed, by as many
people as could get into the courthouse, last Thursday evening in
the graduating exercises of the high school class.
The following are the graduates this year: Merle
Bobbitt....Hattie Downend... Orville Howard...Leona Lybe...Ada
Mann...Arthur Mitchell...Harry Pardee...May Pardee...Ethel
Pressly.
...There is one feature connected with the graduating exercises
which we deem especially worthy of commendation, and that is that
the music was the public school product. We hope that it will
never be necessary to bring in hired talent to make the
graduating exercises of our schools interesting to the
public.....
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A. D. Richards has just returned from a trip through southern
Kansas and Oklahoma. Mr. Richards is well pleased with that
country and is on a deal for land there, although he does not
expect to locate there. While absent he saw John Reed, Jonas
Pettit and William Greedy, former Fremont county citizens. He
reports them all well, happy and contented. He brought home with
him samples of their wheat, rye and oats, that are headed out
nicely and will do to cut soon. Mr. Richards considers that a
great wheat country.
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Supervisors Greenwood and Roberts made a tour of inspection last
week to Harrison county and also to Douglas county, Neb., for the
purpose of studying some bridge problems. Our supervisors, we
believe, are getting hold of the bridge question in this county
in the right way, and we hope to see before many years more
permanency and less expense connected with the bridges of this
county. On this trip they wished to gain some more accurate
information concerning the use of steel tubing and filling
instead of bridge work. Enough has already been done in this
county with brick arch work to demonstrate that this will in the
long run be much cheaper and more prermenent that anything that
has been used in the past.
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We received a letter from Jonas Pettit this week, who recently
moved to Sumner county, Kansas. Mr. Pettit likes that county very
much. He is just six miles north of the state line. He says he
has a nice farm and a good six room house. They have good schools
and churches, and good society. He says they have an unusually
large crop of wheat. They are plowing their corn over the second
time. Their oats crop will not be a very heavy crop this year.
They report having had a visit from A. D. Richards and L. F.
Trullinger of Fremont county.
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M. Myers is building a big barn for Stanley Hopkins, 40 x 48, and
in height 16 foot posts were necessary. He will begin on another
one fully as large for old Mr. Story, north of town, when the
Hopkins job is completed, which will require 20,000 shingles to
roof it.--Riverton Independent.
Riverton News
-S. S. Hopkins has his new barn almost completed. D. M. Story,
who lives just across the road from Mr. Hopkins, intends to erect
a fine barn about the first of August.
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The home of W. E. Dodds in South Hamburg is the abode of as happy
a group of persons as is to be found in all Iowa this week. This
is because the children are all at home. Strange as it may seem,
it is the first time the family has ever been at home all at one
time. This fact is accounted for by the fact that the eldest
married and left before the youngest was born. The names of those
present are Mrs. Dr. E.M. Mason of Cawker City, Kansas, Mrs. J.
H. McDonald of Onago, Kansas, Hiram Dodds of Pocatello, ldaho,
and Misses Lillie and Bertha. It is an event in the life of this
family and is being enjoyed to the fullest extent. It is hoped
Mr. and Mrs. Dodds may live to enjoy many more such occasions as
they are experiencing this week.--Hamburg Reporter.
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-Rev. Jason Gallup and son Ralph, aged 20 years, were killed by
lightning on June 4 at Walsh, Louisiana. He was the pastor at
Thurman for three yeas, and at Farragut for three years.
-Joseph G. Woolley married Mertle M. Chandler on June 5; both are
of Madison township.
Randolph News
-Mrs James Wanton of Fort Calhoun, Nebraska is the mother of Mrs.
Honsaker.
-Sunday evening about five o'clock a man named James Mitchell
attempted suicide at Ray Clark's home a few miles southeast of
Randolph. The man was a stranger in this locality only having
been hired by Mr. Clark on Friday and beginning work on Saturday.
He had threatened to take his life. Mr. and Mrs. Clark were not
at home at the time. He used a 32 calibre revolver, the ball
entering his head between the right temple and ear. He was a man
about 45 years of age, was married and had seven children. He had
separated from his wife and despondency over that and some
trouble over a land deal, led him to commit the deed. His home is
at Harvey, Iowa, and he directed his belongings and $100 which he
had in money to be given to his children there.
Riverton News
-Funeral of a sister of William Fugitt was held Monday at
Hamburg.
-Thomas Kaster was down from Shenandoah spending several days
with his daughter, Mrs Charley Adams.
-Roy Miner from Guide Rock, Neb., who was in our city visiting
relatives, received a telegram Sunday evening stating that his
sister was dangerously sick. He left for home Monday morning.
Word has been received later that his sister died before he got
home.
Local News
-W. W. Morgan has a sister who lives at Maquoketa, Iowa.
-Mrs. Mero Webster is the mother of Mrs. Clara McClure of Beaver
City, Nebraska.
-S. P. McCormick of Tabor is the parent of Mrs. S. B. Ambler.
Imogene News
-W. M. Carr of Blanchard, proprietor of the Blanchard newspaper,
visited his brother, James, here Saturday.
-A small pox case in town raised a lot of excitement last Friday
when it was made known that the little daughter of Erastus Abbott
had the dread disease in the mild form. The family has been
quarantined and no further spread is expected. It is supposed the
child caught the disease from germs contained in clothing shipped
here from Arkansas to Abbott's nephew who boards with him and who
had the small pox several months ago..
SUPERINTENDENT'S RULING
On March 18, 1901, J. L. Whipple, sub-director for sub-district
No. 6, township of Sidney, presented a petition to the school
board of Sidney township, asking that the school house in
sub-districet No. 6, known as Hazel Dell school house, be moved
to some point on the Horse Creek road, west of the present site.
This request the board refused to grant. From this action J. L.
Whipple appeals. The case came up for trial April 11, 1901, the
plaintiff being represented by W. E. Mitchell and the defendants
by Wm. Eaton. The school township was not officially represented,
but parties opposed to the removal of the school house, patrons
of said school appeared as defendants.
RULES GOVERNING APPEARS: The necessities of the present must be
observed in locating school house sites, in preference to the
probabilities of the future. Every dwelling house must be taken
into account, as some one entitled to school advantages may
hereafter reside there. The county superintendent is not limited
to a reversal or affirmance of the action of the board, but he
determines the same questions which it had determined.
HISTORY OF SUB-DISTRICT NO. 6.--Originally the territory
comprising Sub-district No. 6 was of the following description:
All of section 19; all of section 30; all of section 20 except
the northeast quarter of the northeast quarter; all of section 21
except the northwest quarter of the northwest quarter; and the
west quarter and the northeast quarter of section 29. Until about
nine years ago the school house site was near the northwest
corner of the southwest quarter of the southeast quarter of
section 19. It was then changed to its present site in the
northwest corner of section 29. Two years ago the sub-district
was divided, and that part of section 21 and the east half
excepting the northeast 40 acres of section 20, belonging to
sub-district No. 6, together with the north quarter of Section 28
and the north half of the northeast quarter of section 29,
belonging to sub-district No. 17, was set apart as sub-disstrict
No. 20 of Sidney school township.
GEOGRAPHICAL CENTER.--The geographical center of what constitutes
sub-district NO. 6 is therefore one-fourth mile west and slightly
north of its present location. There is no road to the center,
and consequently the site cannot be placed in the exact
geographical center.
SURFACE OF SUB-DISTRICT NO. 6.--The surface is very rough. Horse
Creek begins at the northeast corner and runs southwest to within
one-half mile of the western boundary, thence in a south-easterly
direction to the southern boundary. A ravine or hollow runs
southwesterly near the school house and connects with Horse Creek
a little east of the center of Sec. 30. Nearly all the residences
are on the road running through these hollows. The only road
having any hills of any consequence is the three fourths mile
running due north of the school house. These hills are very
steep, as shown by evidence and measurements taken by the
superintendent.
EVIDENCE.--A plat marked Exhibit II was admitted as evidence.
From this plat and the testimony we make the following
observations:
DISTANCE TO PRESENT SITE (family, number of children, distance
from home to school, total combined distance from school for all
in family):
William Bosworth....2 children....120 rods from school....240
rods in all.
F. M. Clark....5....470....2350
Mr. Foster....1....320....320
Mr. Freeman....5....480....2400
Ira Green....2....480....960
Si Jennings....6....480....2880
Mr. Large....2....320....640
George Lockett....1....680....680
Joe McCluskey....2....5....10
Mr. Miller....3....480....1440
Fremont Morse....3....160....480
Nora Pierson....1.....80....80
John Proctor....4....440....1760
Charles Reeves....1....160....160
James Rowe....1....460....460
Mr. Sitton....5....280....1400
George Thatcher....1....400....400
J. B. Whipple....1....250....250
J. L. Whipple....1....240....240
TOTAL NUMBER OF RODS WALKED BY ALL: 17150 rods.
DISTANCE TO PROSPECTIVE SITE
William Bosworth....2....520....1040
F. M. Clark....5....165....825
Mr. Foster....1....170....170
Mr. Freeman....5....550....2750
Ira Green....2....550....1100
Si Jennings....6....550....3300
Mr. Large....2....15....30
George Lockett....1....360....360
Joe McCluskey....2....400....800
Mr. Miller....3....70....210
Fremont Morse....3....240....720
Nora Pierson....1....480....480
John Proctor....4....110....440
Charles Reeves....1....400....400
James Rowe....1....155....155
Mr. Sitton....5....160....800
George Thatcher....1....480....480
J. D. Whipple....1....310....310
J. L. Whipple....1....320....320
TOTAL NUMBER OF RODS WALKED BY ALL: 14690 rods.
Evidence shows that McLaughlin is going away, but was not gone at
the time of the trial. If he goes, the distance will be shortened
by the removal seven and five-eighths miles for all the children
in going to school, or fifteen and three-fourths miles in going
to and coming from school, in one day. Should the schoolhouse
remain on the present site, Nora Pierson's child will have to
travel the same hill that it will have to travel should it be
moved, and if it is moved Chas. Reeves' child will have to travel
but one hill instead of the three hills it must travel should the
school house remain where it now stands. The distances from the
residences is greatly lessened on the average by the removal, as
a majority of them are in the locality of the prospective site.
The distances for the children is also equalized. The burden of
long travel, therefore, does not fall on a few. The school house
will be located in a valley, and therefore on a comparatively
level road--the main traveled road through the sub-district. The
school grounds will be much better as a playground. Evidence
shows the present school grounds to be very poor for this
purpose.
From the testimony in the case and from our personal
observations, taken in connection with said testimony, we believe
the interests of the sub-district will be better subserved by the
removal of the school house to a site selected by the
superintendent, in the southeast corner of the northeast quarter
of the southwest quarter of section 19, on the east side of the
Horse Creek road, spoken of as Road A in the testimony. This case
was not fought by the board of directors, but by interested
individuals of the district, and we give credit of a desire on
the part of all to secure fairness, and while our decision is
certain to disappoint some we have summed up the evidence slowly
and carefully for the purpose of rendering fairness and justice
to all. Under the evidence we are therefore compelled to reverse
the action of the board and order the school house to be removed
to the site describved above.
--LEE NOTSON. County Superintendent. Sidney, Iowa, April 22,
1901.
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Rev. A. W. Lanningham, of Red Oak, superintendent of southwestern
Iowa district of the Children's Home of Des Moines was in Sidney
looking after some property interests of the Andrews children who
were sent from Anderson to the home six years ago.
[submitted by W.F.; Feb. 2004]
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THE FREMONT COUNTY SUN
Sidney,Fremont co. Iowa
June 13, 1901
A rural mail route out of Sidney has been ordered by the
government to start July 1, with W. F. Hendrickson as carrier.
This route goes up in the Cherry Grove neighborhood in the
morning and in the afternoon is ro run out past the Nishna
church, on east to Franz Gordons, then south one mile, thence
west to Wm. Jarman's corner, on north top the Mereo Webster farm
and then into Sidney. The route would have been established to
run west from Wm. Jarman's to Mr. Downend's corner, and then up
past Focht's farm and into Sidney, but the roads are so bad
generally on that road that the inspector refused to establish it
on that route. However if the farmers living along that road will
see to it that the roads are kept in good condition, we believe
it will be possible to have the route changed, so as to come back
to town that way.
[submitted by W.F., Sept. 2003]