Iowa
Old Press
Fremont County Sun
Sidney, Fremont Co., Iowa
April 17, 1902
An Old Landmark Gone
Fifty years is a long time as measured by a human life or as
measured by the changes incident to such a period of time. The
old west side hotel which for a quarter of a century occupied the
present site of the Crozier house has this week been torn down
and its existence of fifty years will soon pass beyond recall.
The old hotel was built in 1852 by Stephen Cromwell who conducted
it for some time. Then came Sam Frost who had charge of it for
several years. Billy Scott, road agent for the Western Stage
Company was landlord for several years. During most of Scott's
time, L. W. Jenkins was associated with it as an employer of the
Western Stage Company. In 1878 Pressly and Haynes came into
possession of it and pushed it back and built the original
portion of the Crozier House. As nearly as we can learn there is
but one man in Sidney who has been a continuous resident of the
town during the existence of the old hostlery and that is John
Cook.
[transcribed by W.F., January 2008]
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FREMONT COUNTY HERALD
Sidney, Fremont Co., Iowa
April 17, 1902
Death of Bert Sanders
Bert Hamilton Sanders was born in Fremont county, Iowa, August
25, 1874 and died at the home of his parents two and one-half
miles northeast of Sidney, Sunday, April 13, 1902. Bert, as he
was familiarly called by his many friends, had spent all of his
life in this county save a few months during the year 1897 when
he visited relatives in Kansas and learned telegraphy, but made
no practical use of this knowledge on account of failing health.
He was a dutiful son, well loved and had the happy faculty of
making friends of all with whom he came in contact. He attended
the Sidney schools until he had passed the grammar room and then
commenced the work on the farm of his father. On August 7, 1897,
he had the misfortune to have his left hand caught in the
machinery of a threshing machine, making amputation of the member
necessary and the effect of which was the primary cause of his
illness which terminated fatally last Sunday, his health
beginning to decline soon after the operation and finally
consummated in that dread scourge consumption. Bert Sanders was
the eldest son of Mr. and Mrs. J. W. Sanders and leaves both
father and mother, two brothers and two sisters to mourn his
loss, the brothers being Orval and George and the sisters, Mrs.
Pearl Ballinger and Miss Anna Sanders, all of whom are living at
home save the married daughter, who lives two miles east of her
parent's home. The funeral services were held at the home Monday
afternoon, April 14th, at 2 o'clock, Rev. Hoff officiating.
Interment was made in the Sidney cemetery. The funeral cortege
was large, showing the universal esteem in which the deceased was
held.
[transcribed by W.F., June 2006]
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THE FREMONT COUNTY SUN
Sidney, Fremont Co., Iowa
April 24, 1902
FROM SOUTH AFRICA.
An Interesting Letter from William Worcester to His
Parents."
Escourt, Natal, S.A.
Dear Father and Mother.-- Today is my birthday and I have been
thinking over the past and praying about the future. Should I be
permitted to live thirty one more years, I am sure I want the
time to be spent for God. Well, we are well and much encouraged
in the work .God has been good to me indeed, since my last trip
into the fever districts, for I have been well excepting a few
weeks of fever just after I arrived back in Natal. I think I
mentioned about the little native boy taking smallpox on the
steamer. The poor little fellow is now with us and is quite well.
It was quite pitiful to hear him tell how he suffered while
there, not so much from his affliction as from loneliness as he
was cut off from us, and could not speak to the natives who were
waiting on him, as his language is quite different from theirs.
We can say that it is a great joy to have these people around us.
We some times are made to shout for joy to see how thankful they
are for the light of the gospel and it is no little amusement to
see and hear their utter ignorance about the things of
civilization. When I first got the little boy I went to get him a
coat and told him to put it on and he looked at it for awhile and
then held it up before him and went straight into it, putting the
buttons behind and stood looking at me much as to say
"Missionary, please help out." Just lately we bought
our first stove for this place. The older boy heard of this and
was much interested in this stove business and asked my wife if
he might go to town and carry it out. (Ten miles.) We finally got
it out on a wagon and then come the setting of it up. Yes, he
understood that it was a stove and laughed at the ignorance he
had showed in wanting to carry it from town. He now saw his
mistake, but how it worked. He was no fool; he saw the legs, and
what could they be for, to lift it from the ground so that a fire
could be built under it? Our house having a dirt floor led him to
think it quite reasonable. He could see into that, but when we
showed him the fire box and told him it would heat the whole
stove he put his hand over his mouth and stood wondering. But
Jene, as he is called, is not afraid of work. I one time sent him
to town for an iron bed which was at the railroad station. I
thought it was a light kind, such as one man can carry very well,
but it proved a heavy one, a load for two men, but Jene knew I
had told him to get the bed and the bed he brought the whole ten
miles. He was to tired he was almost sick but thought nothing of
it. We were concerned about him fearing it would make him sick,
but he was well the next morning. When this boy arrived his
almost daily prayer was, Lord clear my head out so that I may
learn. From what followed one would think his prayer was
answered, for he learned faster than any person we have ever
seen; after three weeks he was able to begin to read in the
testament, and this opened up something like a new world to him.
Any one listening to him read could see that this wonderful book
was written for the good of man. This boy is at it yet, reading
and sometimes throwing his head back and laughing aloud at the
way it speaks to his heart. Oh what will the great day be to some
who refuse to send light to such people? I often think of my old
school mates and friends and wonder if they ever care to make any
one happy. Oh, what a precious field this is. To find a man when
he hardly knows whether he is a man or not and then to lead him
to the Lord and see him acquaint himself with Him and go on his
way rejoicing. What will Heaven be like? I think I have felt a
little of it when we sometimes stand and hear our boys praying in
their little house a few steps from our door "From darkness
to light." "From darkness to light." Thank God for
ever calling us to this work. Oh who will take a hand in it?
You son on the field,
William Worcester
[transcribed by W.F., March 2007]